Unexpected
by CaitlinOonagh95
Summary: When a Marriage Law is passed, will Hermione's job jeopardise her only chance at love? Or will love once again conquer evil?
1. Chapter 1

**Woo new story! I still have my Hunger Games fic to finish, so these first few chapters will be a tester. Don't worry though, I will update regularly if this story is liked well enough, at least once a week. But my main energy will go into my other fic for the time being. :)**

**Please enjoy, and honest reviews please. I know Marriage Laws have been done so much but I really wanted to write one.**

**Chapter One**

Looking at the calendar on the wall, Hermione sighed as it reminded her of the date. May 1st 1999. Almost a year since the defeat of Voldemort. While everyone else in the wizarding world was beginning to celebrate the great victory, as Junior Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Hermione was forced to sit in Kingsley's vast office as their latest meeting took place. She had sat in her extremely comfortable chair for at least an hour, and had spent the time peering around the office, looking at all of Kingsley's collectibles. Usually, she was not included in such meetings, but her boss Grant Cloverfield had permitted her inclusion.

Probably looking my opinion on some celebratory performance for tomorrow evening, she thought bitterly to herself. After the war, all she had wanted to do was forget the last year of her life and move on, intending to change the wizarding world for the better as a ministry official. Granted, her war-hero status led her to gaining such a prestigious position almost immediately. But it had it's drawbacks. She was constantly asked by every member of staff in her department, particularly Grant, to relive her memories of the war, something she'd rather not do.

Sighing once more, she tried to tune into what Kingsley was saying. She had a profound respect for the man, for out of the four Ministers that had held the position in Hermione's knowledge of the wizarding world he had brought about an enormous amount of peace-building and change in the year he had held the position. Catching his eye as he looked to her, she smiled at him. He was a good man.

A few seconds passed as a number of Departmental Heads raised their hands, leaving a minority without their hands risen. "So Minister, it seems we have a majority vote," Grant started, his voice booming beside Hermione. She didn't particularly like her boss. He was arrogant and tried his luck with Hermione every chance he got. Not that she gave him many. She tried to stay out of his way as much as possible. "The law is passed, then?" He said, excitement lacing his voice.

Kingsley frowned, Hermione noticed as he stood. "I believe so Cloverfield." He said, almost sounding glum.

"Excellent!" The man beside Hermione boomed, "I shall go alert the Prophet and have them publish the news tomorrow! What better a time than the anniversary of our victory!" He exclaimed as he lead the rest of the officials out of the room, those of whom did not raise their hands looking extremely disgruntled.

Hermione was at a loss though. Her lack of attention had led her to be in a vulnerable situation, something she disliked immensely. Chastising herself, she walked over to Kingsley, who was standing with his back to her, looking out of his window onto the magically produced scenery that lay outside. The Ministry was underground, so of course the view was a product of a charm. Turning slightly as he heard her approaching, he smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry Hermione, I had hoped that fewer people would have agreed with Grant. I can pull a few strings, see if I can exempt you three from it? Though it is highly unlikely." He told her.

"Truthfully Kingsley, I wasn't listening. You're office is too interesting." She told him, embarrassed. Kingsley's features remained grim, alerting Hermione that whatever had just happened was serious.

For Merlin's Hermione! Concentrate in future! She scolded herself.

"It's a marriage law Hermione. Every witch and wizard between the ages of seventeen and forty-five that are not yet married or engaged will be legally required to marry their most suitable partner, as chosen by the Ministry. Letters detailing this will be sent out tomorrow, and matches revealed no later than one week from today." He said, his voice no more than a whisper.

Hermione felt her jaw drop, every inch of her body feeling disgusted that she had witnessed such an abomination take place, and she hadn't even tried to stop it!

"As Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Cloverfield will devise a team this afternoon who's role it is to appoint pairings. I will try my best to make sure you are not a part of that team Hermione, in fact I'll request your undivided attention this week so that you cannot be involved. But don't be surprised if you are featured in the Prophet." He said grimly. "Now take the rest of the day off, go home, tell Molly and the family and you all do what you have too, do you understand?" He asked, his expression serious.

Hermione nodded fervently, knowing exactly what he meant. "Thank Kingsley, see you tomorrow," She bid him farewell and hurried down to her office to collect her handbag and jacket, hoping that she would avoid Grant on her journey, for his sake. Panting slightly as she rounded the corner to her office, she looked around one last time to make sure Grant was nowhere in sight. She really did not want to see his slimy face, not after what he had done in the last few minutes, for she would have no control over her wand if she had.

Slipping on her jacket and grabbing her handbag, a Christmas gift from Ginny to replace her purple beaded one that was destroyed in the war, she caught sight of a lavender coloured envelope on her pile of paperwork sat in the middle of her desk. Must take that home with me, she thought as she lifted the envelope. It even smelt of lavender, the scent filling Hermione's nostrils and sending her into a calm state. Reading the elegant writing on the front, she read her name before delicatly opening the letter.

Herbert and Hyacinth Brown warmly request the pleasure of

_Hermione Granger and Guest_

to attend the marriage of their daughter

Lavender Rose Brown to Ronald Bilius Weasley

on

June 18th 1999

in the grounds of the Brown Mansion

Clutching the back of her desk chair, Hermione felt her heart shatter into a million pieces.

Ron had left last September to travel the world. He had started his Auror training alongside Harry in July, but left two months later, wanting to just relax after the war. And so he packed his bags, and with his healthy war money, set off to Australia. He and Hermione had ended things before he left on an open page, and she had always thought they would pick up where they left off once he returned. He hadn't even came home yet.

Whether he had intentionally left with Lavender, or had met her on his travels, she did not know. What she did know was that she was truly heartbroken. Sending ahead a patronus to The Burrow, telling everyone to gather in the kitchen, she felt tears prick at her eyes. Everything that had happened in the last fifteen minutes crashed down on her. Lifting the large pile of paperwork and her bag, she turned on the spot.

Re-appearing in the kitchen of the Weasley household, her blurry eyes focusing on the eight bodies sat before her, she set her paperwork and handbag down and walked to the table. "I have news," She whispered, hoping no one had noticed her tears yet. Accepting the cup of tea Molly offered her, she cleared her throat, catching sight of their worried expressions.

"A Marriage Law passed today. Anyone between the ages of seventeen and forty-five are to be paired with one another by the ministry, and are to marry. A letter will come to each of us tomorrow, and another containing our match by the 8th. Bill and Fleur, you are obviously exempt. And I guess Ronald is too." She whispered, the invitation falling from her hand onto the table as she let her tears flow and excused herself from the kitchen, and up to her and Ginny's shared bedroom.

Curling up in a ball under her blanket, she allowed herself to break down. She had not cried like this since the last time Ron had left her. Except this time, he wasn't coming back to her. He would belong to someone else.

Minutes passed and the tears kept flowing. Minutes soon turned into hours and Hermione found herself waking up with a body either side of her, Harry on her right facing her and Ginny behind her, her hand gently sweeping Hermione's wild hair from her soaked cheeks. "We're so sorry, 'Mione," Harry whispered as he pulled her into a hug. He loved both Ron and Hermione as dear siblings, but it hurt him exceptionally so to see Hermione this hurt as a result of Ron's actions. "We had no idea, honestly," He told her as she pulled back and wiped her eyes. They felt puffy and painfully sore, and she wanted nothing but to forget this day.

"He's a git, I've warned the both of you about him many times," Ginny said, frowning as her anger build as she thought of her brother. He would be lucky if he was alive to get married once she was through with him. They had all been sent invitations that morning as well, along with a letter for Molly saying he was due home on the 8th. The news of the Marriage Law had sent them all into overdrive. Upon hearing her mother's voice calling for her, Ginny hugged Hermione and left the room to find her mother, leaving Harry to comfort his best friend.

After sitting there together for a while, talking about nothing in particular, Hermione sighed. "I genuinely thought we would get married." She said, tears threatening to spill over when Kingsley's instructions popped into her mind. "The law isn't being announced publicly until tomorrow. You still have time to propose Harry! But only for tonight, unless you want to see if you are ideally matched by Ministry standards, which you probably would be regardless. But you have a ring already, so do it tonight!" Hermione whispered fiercely, forgetting her own woes and urging Harry to go get ready for what could be the biggest moment in his life.

Sure he defeated Voldemort, but Ginny was another force to be reckoned with in her own way, and it had to be perfect. Planting a sloppy kiss on her forehead, Harry jumped off the bed. "You really are brilliant Hermione. The wizard you are paired with will never be good enough for you, you know that?" He smiled as she smiled at his attempt to cheer her up. Leaving the room, he began humming off-key, a sign he was truly happy.

Smiling to herself, Hermione stood up and changed from her work-robes into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt. Harry was always sweet to her and cared for her. He was the older brother she had always dreamed of having, even though he was almost a year her junior. But he had gotten it wrong, she would never be good enough for the wizard who she was assigned to.

Unless it was Malfoy.

The sudden realisation hit her, and it hit her hard. She could be paired with him, for she had no control over it. Her breathing grew irregular with the shock and soon she was hyperventilating, struggling to catch even the smallest of breaths. Stumbling to her bed in an attempt to calm herself, she failed to noticed the red-head that had appeared in her doorway.

"You okay Granger?" Fred asked, assessing the brunette. Realising what was wrong, and seeing that she was about to lie down, he raced to her side. "Stay standing if you can Hermione," He said, placing his hands on her waist to hold her steady, "It'll help you, I promise," He said softly as she looked at him quizzically. Well, as quizzically as one can do so when unable to breathe properly.

Sure enough though, she had calmed down enough that she could breathe properly again. She smiled gently at Fred, before realising where his hands were. Blushing slightly, she placed her hands on his and removed them from her waist, and lay down on her bed, inviting him to do the same.

The two lay in companionable silence. She had cast an exceptionally strong shield charm over Fred at just the right moment, meaning only a fraction of the wall had hit him and though it knocked him out, she had saved him in the Battle at Hogwarts. Since then, the twins and she had grown closer, to the point where she would often have lunch with them several times a week. Fred had gotten particularly attached to her whenever he regained his memory after waking up and remembered what had happened. "Where's George" She asked gently, as he charmed the lights to come on softly to lighten up the room slightly as the sun began to set.

"Oh, at Angie's. He caught on to your warning, gone to propose I think." He said, smiling at the prospect. "Is Harry going to do the same?" He asked her as she summoned a box of Chocolate Frogs from the far side of her room. With a quick twist Fred had disappeared, returning a few seconds later with a six pack of Butterbeer. It was routine now that once a week, either at the Burrow or the twins' flat that they feasted on Chocolate Frogs and Butterbeer and caught up with each other.

She nodded in reply to his question and tossed him a frog, accepting a freshly opened bottle at the same time. "How about you? Not have a lucky witch in mind to go and pop the question to?" She asked after taking a sip and lay back beside him.

"Nah. Think I'll just wait for this letter to come out. Can't be too bad. I hope." He told her, pulling a goofy face.

She giggled and the two lay there for a while, until all the Butterbeer had flowed and no chocolate remained. She was starting to drift off whenever she heard a door bursting opening from downstairs, causing her to jump up in fight and jolting awake a lightly snoring Fred. "MUM! DAD! BROTHERS! HERMIONE! IM ENGAGED!" Came the delighted shouts of Ginny, causing an excited cheer to erupt from Molly and a smile to spread on Hermione's face.

As long as her best friends were happy, she guessed she was too. Even if one of them had left her heartbroken.

"Come on you, we'd best go downstairs," She said, poking him in the side.

Before following, he spoke, "Herm-own-ninny?" He had never let her live that down after she told him about Viktor.

"Yes Fredrick?" She said, playing her own game in return.

"How do you know I'm Fred and George is George?" He asked, smiling slightly.

She paused before telling him. It was second nature to her now that she almost forgot how she could tell the difference. "Well, going by looks, you have a freckle just about your right eyebrow, that George doesn't have. And you have two ears," She said, gasping as if having two ears was a rarity. "And George is the better looking-twin," She told him, earning a glare. "Kidding, kidding. But aside from looks, you call me by my name when we're together, George always calls me 'Granger'." She said simply, smiling as she left the room.

Fred smiled too, happy she noticed the effort he put in. He followed her downstairs to see his newly engaged sister, waiting for George to return to give him the brotherly warning talk.

**My longest chapter ever, in any fic!:o**

**Please review and tell me what you think!:)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Oh wow, loads of follows and alerts on this, yay :-)**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two**

Hermione woke the next morning feeling surprisingly refreshed. To her knowledge, she had slept soundly through the night, something she hadn't expected. She couldn't determine if it was the gentle kick of alcohol in her system from the Butterbeer and her glass of celebratory Firewhiskey last night, or simply because she wasn't as upset as she had been previously during the day. Something told her it was a mixture of the two, the latter contributing a greater proportion. Looking over to Ginny's bed, she saw the red-head was still fast asleep, her wild hair splayed across her pillow and she was gently snoring. She had over-indulged slightly on the Firewhiskey last night, and would no doubt need a Hangover Potion when she woke.

Laughing to herself Hermione sat up in her bed, stretching her arms above her head to relax the kinks in her back that had developed overnight. Almost a year of sleeping in a tent or on a makeshift bed had left her with chronic back aches in the morning. Mrs Weasley had been kind enough to teach her how to brew a Pain-free Potion, and she kept a large vial in her bedside locker, ready for use when needed. She didn't use it very often, as it was quite potent, but everyone had been welcome to it's usage and so she had very little left. No matter how well Hermione had slept, she had a troublesome knot just below her shoulder-blade, and at some point she would need to take a sip of potion.

Throwing her legs out of bed, she reached for a fresh set of powder blue work-robes and a white shirt for underneath. She was almost dressed when Mrs Weasley knocked softly on their door. "Good morning Hermione dear," She whispered as she opened the door and entered the room. She knew all too well of her daughter's temper, especially if she was woken too early. "You don't have work today dear, remember?" She smiled kindly as she took in the sight of a half dressed Hermione, who blushed at her forgetfulness. "Kingsley sent you an owl, it's down in the kitchen. It must need a reply. Shall I make you some breakfast dear?" The motherly witch asked as Hermione searched for alternative clothes to wear.

"Please Mrs Weasley, I'll be down in a minute." the younger whisper whispered back in reply, smiling at the witch who had been a mother figure to her for years.

"It's Molly, my dear," She simply said as she closed the door over to give Hermione privacy, though she very much doubted that anyone else was awake.

Hermione smiled to herself, before her mind flitted elsewhere. She had gone to Australia last October, after everything had finally calmed down in the wizarding world and she was settled in her job. Alongside Harry and Kingsley, she had managed to trace her parents' general whereabouts. So she set off in the hope of finding them, but she never did. Her magic had been so powerful when she obliviated their memories that she had completely changed their lifestyles, she didn't even know what hobbies they enjoyed doing or if they were still dentists. So she returned to The Burrow, claiming she had found them but they seemed to content with their lives for her to return their memories and so she left them be. She hated lying to her adoptive family, but she did not want them to put their lives on hold to help her. She knew they would in a heartbeat, but she knew all they wanted was routine and peace and she did too.

After changing into a pair of jeans and an old Gryffindor hoody she had borrowed from Ginny years ago, she padded down the stairs to the kitchen, the aroma of sizzling bacon meeting her half-way. Her stomach growled loudly as she smelt the meat so she rush down the last few steps, eager to eat whatever delicious meal Mrs Weasley had prepared. Catching sight of a plate already laden with food on the table, she sat down and tucked in, savouring each bite as if she hadn't ate in a day. Which she hadn't, given she had lost all of her appetite yesterday.

"Oi! Stealing my hoody and my breakfast! Tut tut Granger!" Came the surprised shout of a dressed Weasley twin as he emerged from the hallway, drying his hands on his t-shirt as he walked towards her. "I leave to go brush my teeth and I come back to find my breakfast half gone, what is this world coming too?" He said solemnly as he filled another plate and sat beside her.

"Why do you brush your teeth before you eat? And your hoody?" She asked, not apologising for stealing his breakfast. She had learn the hard way over the past few years that if any food was left unattended in The Burrow, it would be eaten by someone else. Namely a twin or Ron, so she popped a mushroom in her mouth and smugly smiled at him as he sat down next to her.

"Because you never know what beautiful witch might walk through the door and demand I snog her senseless! Constant vigilance my dear!" He teased, winking as he stole the tomato off her plate. He knew she didn't like them any way. "And yes, my hoody. When George and I left we each gave Ginny something so she wouldn't miss us too much," He explained, talking a bite of sausage. "Look on the left sleeve, my initials are there."

Sure enough, a monogram no bigger than a Knut held the letters F.W stitched in gold. "Oh, so it is! I can't believe I hadn't noticed that before, I thought Ginny had just bought it herself in Hogsmede. Here, take it back," She said, moving so she could take of the item of clothing.

"Keep it Hermione, it looks better on you anyway." He told her, winking again as he finished his breakfast and gathered their plates to wash them. She had turned a faint shade of pink at his words, and she could feel her cheeks heating up.

Why was she responding like this? It was only Fred for Merlin's sake, one of her closest friends!

Looking around and hoping for a distraction, she stood up just as Fred sat down again, finally noticing the regal-looking owl sitting on the windowsill of the kitchen. Walking over to take the letter from the reproachful looking owl, she checked her watch, seeing it was a quarter past nine. As she opened the letter from Kingsley, she wondered when the letters announcing the Marriage Law would arrive.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I hope I find you well this morning. I flooed Molly this morning to tell her you all have the day off, and I will assume your absence at present means that you received the message. I told Grant that I require your assistance from tomorrow until further notice, if you so wish. Although he was not best pleased, he is somewhat obliged to agree with my every whim. Perk of the job I guess. I sincerely hope that you all took actions last night that will ensure your happiness._

_Have an enjoyable Victory Day,_

_Kingsley _

_Minister for Magic_

_PS, the letters will be arriving at around half nine. One owl will carry them all._

Hermione smirked at how he signed off his letter. Even though it was a personal correspondence, he still stamped it with his title.

As soon as Hermione finished writing her reply, another owl had appeared at the windowsill, this time carrying a stack of envelopes. Sending Kingsley's owl off with her reply and an owl treat, she freed the second owl of it's load, and sent it on its way also, again with an owl treat. "Letters are here Fred." she said softly, watching the owl as it flew away.

"Hmm?" He asked, her statement interrupting his thoughts. He blushed as she turned to look at him, fearful that she could read his mind. He had been watching her as she went about her business. It was true, she did look better in his hoody. The dark red really complimented her hair colour.

"I said the letters are here." She said, smiling at his confusion, handing him the envelope addressed to him.

"Eugh. I hate getting official letters from the Ministry. They always address it to "Fredrick" Weasley. My name's Fred.." He said grumpily, pouting somewhat.

Hermione stifled a laugh, instead calling to Mrs Weasley who had just re-entered the kitchen. "Our letters are here Mrs Weasley. Should we wait for everyone before opening them?" She asked, "I mean, we already know the basics of what they contain, but I'm sure there is more information included?" She finished, Mrs Weasley nodding to her words.

"Not to worry dear, I'll get them up." She smiled, walking towards the staircase. Fred, pre-empting what his mother was going to do covered his ears with his hands. "BOYS! GINNY! THE MINISTRY LETTERS ARE HERE!" She roared up the many levels of The Burrow. Soon, everyone was downstairs and munching on bacon sandwiches. "Right, everyone got their letter?" The elder witch asked, gaining a chorus of muffles in ascent. "Well go on then, open them!" She encouraged, pointing her wand at the sink to start the dishes washing themselves and set about making tea.

With slightly shaking hands, Hermione opened her letter. Whilst she knew what it contained, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive, particularly as Grant was the leader of this. He always twisted things around in his favour, something Hermione had learned from day one of her job.

_Miss Hermione Jean Granger._

_In light of the First Anniversary of the Great War, the ministry has uncovered some disturbing information regarding the Wizarding population of Great Britain and Ireland. What was once a thriving community has been decimated due to He Who Must Not Be Named and his followers, causing a great loss in the number of wizards alive today, in particular those of Muggle-Born heritage. _

_These recent findings have led the Ministry to pass a law of predetermined marriage, in effect a **Marriage Law**. Under this new law, every unmarried witch and wizard between the ages of seventeen and forty-five will be assessed by a Martial Law team of Ministry officials and assigned a partner. This partner will be their ideal match, and they will be legally required to marry said partner. Letters revealing partner assignments will be sent on May 8th 1999._

_In an attempt to ease tensions and prevent blood prejudice, the Martial Law team will try it's best to assure that Pure-Bloods are matched only with Half-Bloods and Muggle-Borns._

_All marriage ceremonies are to be attended by an approved Ministry official and must be held within Great Britain or Ireland before September 1st of this year. Failure to do so will result in imprisonment._

_In an attempt to rectify the dwindling population, each couple will be expected to have **produced at least one child by March 1****st**** 2001**. That is, each couple has eighteen months in which they are to conceive and give birth to a child that will hopefully have inherited magical ability. Couples are expected to produce at least two children, though it as at their discretion as to how many they ultimately produce. Failure to produce a first child within the time period will result in a full medical examination in St Mungo's and imprisonment if no medical exemption is allocated._

_A wizarding marriage is one bound by powerful magic passed down through centuries, the bond strengthening as time elapses. Therefore, once married, **divorce is forbidden**. Should a partner die, the other will be assigned a new partner should one become available and provided they are still capable of producing a child._

_Should one believe they will be better suited to someone other than their assigned partner, they may petition their choice in front of the Head of the Marital Law Team. Please understand that it is highly **unlikely that the team will be mistaken** and unless significant proof can be provided, petitions will not be considered._

_**Those who are already betrothed **before this day date May 2nd 1999 are **exempt** from being assigned a partner, however they are still expected to produce a sample to be assessed and a child by the date aforementioned. Betrothed couples must come to the Ministry before May 8th 1999 and declare so. Please note you will be asked to submit yourself to a simple test which will prove you were indeed engaged before May 2nd 1999._

_Enclosed in this envelope is a small labelled vial. Please place your wand to your heart and say, "**Amouris Perfecta,**" placing the pink extract you gather in the vial. Please return this to the Ministry with an owl before the end of the day._

_I hope you enjoy this, the first anniversary of our success against evil._

_Regards_

_Grant Cloverfield_

_Head of Marital Law Team_

_Head of the Department of Magical Law_

"Produce a child! What are we, machines?" Hermione spluttered.

"Imprisonment?" Gulped Harry.

"No divorce? Bloody hell!" Exclaimed the twins.

"I wonder if Charlie is involved in this," Murmured Mrs Weasley.

"Bloody hell, you all look like you've seen a boggart!" Came Ron's loud voice from the doorway, a giggling Lavender hanging onto his arm.

**Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three**

"Harry, mate!" Ron shouted as he threw his arms around his best mate, thumping him loudly on the back. "Did you get the Outback Owls jersey I sent? And is there any bacon left Mum? I'm starving!" The red head asked casually, as if he hadn't just walked through the door after being away for nine months and didn't have his fiancée in tow.

"Hello to you too, Ron." Fred and George muttered together, glaring as their brother ate the last of the bacon.

"Hello, Lavender is it? I'm Molly Weasley, Ronald's mother. Are you hungry?" Mrs Weasley asked. They all expected her to be welcoming, for she always was when a guest appeared at the Burrow. But nobody expected the forced smile, nor the bitter undertone. Nor did they expected the response she received.

"No thank-you Molly. I ate before I came, I have a delicate palate that only our elves can fully tend too." The girl said, an air of pomposity surrounding her.

Everyone except for Mrs Weasley, Ron and Lavender looked at one another, utterly aghast. No-one denied Molly Weasley's cooking, nor did they compare it to a house elves. Hermione grew angry at the thought of Lavender ordering house elves around like slaves. She was also stunned at the girl's flippant use of Mrs Weasley's first name, and a shared look with Harry told her that he didn't approve either.

"Oh well that's fine my dear. Why don't you and Ron head into the sitting room and I'll bring in some tea and we can all catch up?" Mrs Weasley offered, her smile once again forced. It did however soften as her youngest son stopped to hug her as he passed by.

"Oh Molly? I only drink lavender and honey tea." Lavender told her as she walked past, throwing Ginny a dirty look when the red head snorted in exasperation.

As Mrs Weasley made a pot of tea, her children all sat at the table. Hermione stayed silent throughout the whispered conversation that followed. Tears were forming in her eyes as she kept picturing the engagement ring on Lavender's left hand, forcing the realisation onto her once more.

"Well I for one would pick Hermione over that snob any day," George said grumpily, throwing a protective arm around her as she smiled slightly.

"Thanks George." She said softly, "But I hear you are already taken, finally!" She congratulated him, remembering what Fred had told her last night, causing George's ears to turn pink. But before he could speak, a noise came from the doorway.

"Err Hermione? Can we..um talk maybe?" Ron asked, looking sheepish as he caught her eye, throwing her a lop-sided smile as she stood up.

Seeing him smile at her like that again lit a fuse within her, anger bubbling up like a cauldron as she tried to bite it back. "What's there to talk about Ronald? You left. And now you're getting married. And I am too, most likely to a wizard I know very little about, maybe even Malfoy. Do you need to add anything to that or are we done here?" She asked bitterly, her hands forming fists as she restrained herself from lunging at him.

"What's this about having to marry someone?" He asked, confusion flickering over his face. Catching the letter that Ginny flung across the room, he took a moment to read it. "Betrothed couples.. Blimey! Lav! We need to go to the Ministry later!" He called into the living room before turning back to face his siblings. "Are you lot all exempt too then? This is wicked, not having to be paired with some banshee of a witch!" He said gleefully.

Hermione's eyes glazed over as the tears returned, and the last thing she saw before her vision obscured completely was the rush of two red-heads attempting to wrestle their brother. Quietly she headed towards the staircase, unaware of the blue eyes that followed her every move.

* * *

Fred sighed as he climbed the stairs to Hermione's bedroom a few hours later, the small vial with her name on it in his hand as well as his own. Ron and 'LavLav' had gone to the Ministry, as had George, Harry and Ginny. He didn't like the idea of Hermione sitting by herself alone. Knocking the door, he heard a muffled 'Come in' from the girl within and entered, not knowing what to expect. Catching sight of the small mound on her bed, he assumed Hermione had burrowed herself under her blanket, hiding from the world. A thought crossed his mind, and a small smile grew on his lips. Creeping into the room, he made a small sound of confusion. "Hmm. Where could Hermy be?" He asked loudly, feigning confusion. He walked around the room, pretending to be searching the wardrobe and behind the door, before jumping onto the bed and landing face down, making sure he wasn't actually forcing his weight on her small body.

"Ger'off me Fred! And don't call me Hermy!" Came a muffled shout from beneath him, causing him to laugh.

"What was that? I can't see Hermione but I can hear here. But I guess if I can't find her I'll just have to lie here until she decides to reveal herself.. This bed is awfully comfortably, but there's a huge lump right here in the middle.. AHH! Stop it! Oi! STOP! I'll get off!" Fred yelled in between laughs as Hermione caught him with a Tickling charm.

"Serves you right Weasley," She muttered grumpily.

"Oh now come on, don't be a grumpy old Filch now Granger!" He said, narrowly missing her fist as she swung for his shoulder, "Come on you, you need to send your sample off. I thought since we are the only ones who are actually being tested we could do it together?" He asked, reaching into the pocket of his hoody and taking two vials out, handing her the one with her name on it as she nodded thoughtfully.

She took it somewhat reluctantly, a heavy crease in her forehead as she thought to herself. "I hope I get paired with Viktor, just to really annoy Ronald," She said grumpily.

She looks adorable when she's this angry, thought Fred to himself. "Ah but dear Vicky lives in Bulgaria, dearest Herm-Own-Ninny, not the British Isles," he teased, his stomach churning uneasily as he thought of Hermione being paired with someone so much more famous and attractive than him.

Woah! Fred thought, why do I care if she's paired with someone like Krum?

"Oh shut up Fred," She said half heartedly, shoving his shoulder. "You ready, Freddie?" She asked, smiling at her own wit as she held her wand over her heart.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Came his reply as he copied her action, "One..two..three.."

"Amouris Perfecta!" They spoke clearly, their voices mingling harmoniously as a soft white light shone from their wands, a pink thread, much like a memory thread, connected to their wands as they pulled them away from their chest. Placing each into their own vial and sealing it, a tawny Ministry owl appeared at the window, it's foot already outstretched waiting to receive it's load. Fred did the needful and soon the owl was soaring into the afternoon sky towards London.

"So m'lady," Fred said as he turned back to face his companion, "What's on the agenda for this afternoon? How about we stage a re-enactment of the Battle," He suggested, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'll even let you be Harry the Hero!" He exclaimed, pretending to swoon.

"Fred!" Hermione giggled as he pretended to duel an imaginary opponent. A few minutes later, after she had managed to calm down, she got off her bed and lifted the stack of paperwork from the floor and patted the space beside her. "I have had enough of the war to last me a lifetime, thank you very much. Today, I would very much like to get through this paperwork I'm behind on. You can stamp these for me if you like?" She said as he sat down.

"Sure, I have exceptional organisational skills, even if I do say so myself," he boasted, waving his wand lazily and causing the huge stack of parchment to fly around the room.

"FRED!" Hermione growled, watching her impeccably organised work zip across the room. "Put. Them. Back!" She told him, punctuating each syllable with a punch to his arm.

"Feisty, are we Granger?" He teased, waving his wand again so that all the parchment returned to its correct position in the pile. "No need to get your wand in a twist," he told her, reclining against her headboard. "What is all this anyway?" He asked as curiosity captured him, watching her open the first of many files.

"Oh, shop licensing forms. Your favourite!" She told him, her turn to be sarcastic.

Fred groaned deeply, immediatley regretting his offer of help. It was the one thing he hated about his job, renewing their license. It took weeks to fill in the form, even with Hermione's help, and he very much doubted that it was much more appealing to read all of them.

Still, he got to use a stamp, so he was happy.

That, and he was in the company of an exceptionally pretty witch. Not that it mattered to him..

Much.

* * *

Many hours had passed, or at least it felt like hours. Looking out of the window, Fred determined it was early evening at least, maybe six o'clock. They had finished all the Shop Licensing forms and had moved onto reports of under-age magic. He didn't know how Hermione managed to concentrate going through all this tedious paperwork every day, how she had kept scribbling small notes down the side of the report whilst he chose to draw pictures. He was so absorbed in his latest masterpiece, a fully detailed Golden Snitch, that he didn't notice Hermione drift off to sleep until she snored softly. He sat up slowly, carefully so as not to disturb her, but she moved just as he did, entwining her arms around his left arm and effectively trapping him beside her.

Settling down beside the witch, Fred grabbed the comforter from the bottom of the bed in between his feet and dragged it up, and with his free hand he tossed it over her so that she was warm. As the blanket settled over her, she sighed contentedly as if she aware of what was happening, and rested her head in the crook of Fred's arm.

Fred smiled at the sleeping brunette, wondering when she had become this adorable. Or when they had become so content with each other, for that matter. He didn't remember much about the Battle, when he replayed it in his mind it was a cacophony of noises and a flashy show of lights. He had suffered some memory loss, forgetting everyone's names but George and Hermione's, and when he dreamt he heard a woman's voice shouting something. It wasn't until two weeks after the war did he remember that it was Hermione's terrified voice casting a shield charm on him before it all went black.

He had grown exceptionally close to the girl in the last year, even though he had know her for seven years prior. She was still the bossy prefect he remembered from his Hogwarts days, but she had grown as a person since then. He had discovered she was much more laid-back and shared the same wry sense of humour as the twins. She would often come to the shop several times a week, bringing a food parcel from The Leaky Cauldron and he enjoyed their weekly catch-up evening that they had. She really was a brilliant witch, in more than just ability and knowledge.

Ron was a git, he thought angrily. He had absolutely no tact, especially whenever he figured out he was exempt from the law. Of course Hermione wouldn't be exempt. Her boyfriend had ended things with her so he could 'go of and explore the world', when really, he was going off to explore Lavender Brown. Everyone thought Ron and Hermione would end up together, Fred included. But having gotten to know the girl, Ron didn't deserve her, and he never did.

He didn't deserve to wake up seeing her smile every morning, or go to sleep holding her every night. He didn't deserve her compassion, her brilliant mind and her love and affection.

Fred thought anyone would be extremely lucky to marry Hermione.

He wanted to be that lucky.

Watching the brunette sleep as she clung to his arm, Fred found himself growing tired, and soon he too had drifted off, one arm gently resting on her waist.

* * *

George Weasley was happy. Very happy indeed. He and Angelina had gone to the Ministry and declared their engagement, passing the test and therefore gaining an exemption from this ridiculous law. He had spent the rest of the afternoon with his wife to be, picking out an engagement ring for her and enjoying a hearty dinner in Diagon Alley. He could only hope Freddie would be assigned someone decent, someone who they both liked and got on with, and could accept they were a package deal.

Someone like Hermione.

They were so oblivious. If only they had realised their feelings months ago when he and Ginny had done, then they wouldn't face the risk of being partnered with someone else. He supposed he could always persuade Fred to petition for her, but there was no "significant proof" to show they would work well together.

George wondered into the kitchen after emerging from the fireplace, looking for his brother so they could head back to the flat together. Hopefully they could get a start on some of the restocking they needed to do. "Freddie? Fred?" He called, looking around the ground floor of his childhood home for his twin. "Mum, have you seen Fred?" He asked as his mother came into the kitchen from the back door, carrying a basket of freshly lain eggs.

"He went up to check on Hermione a few hours ago, he hasn't been down since." She replied, throwing her son a knowing look.

Returning the smile to his mother, George started to climb the stairs, whistling cheerfully as he went. When he reached the third floor, he stopped whistling so he could call out, "Fred? You ready to go? We have potions to b.." He tailed off as he walked into the room and caught sight of his brother fast asleep, his arms wrapped around an equally fast asleep Hermione. Smiling smugly, he backed out of the room and went back downstairs, said goodbye to his mother and father and flooed to the apartment, flooing Angelina when he got there.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Two updates in one day! Beneficial for you lot that I'm quite ill at the moment lol Sorry I had to re-upload this one, it was the unedited chapter :$  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

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Chapter Four

Hermione inhaled deeply into her pillow as she was drawn from the deeps of sleep to reality, a familiar scent filling her nostrils. It was Fred's cologne, the one he always wore. It must have lingered on the pillow, she thought sleepily as she cuddled closer into it, revelling in it's warmth. Her pillow inhaled deeply and lifted a hand to stoke her hair, tightening it's grip round her. Her brain was still too clouded with sleep for this to register in her brain, instead she tightening her grip too.

"Err, Hermione? I can't really breathe if you're squeezing my chest love," The gentle voice of her pillow crooned from somewhere above her head.

Hang on, she thought. Pillows don't talk. She opened her eyes, catching sight of the grey t-shirt Fred had been wearing last night. "Oh Merlin! Fred I'm sorry!" She nearly shouted as she sat bolt upright, turning her head away so he wouldn't see her blush that had shot up her cheeks.

She heard him sit up beside her, his warm hand resting gently on her shoulder as he turned her face towards his. "It's okay 'Mione, no need for apologies," He told her, his voice no more than a whisper. He paused, looking as though he was trying to say something but was holding back. After a few seconds, he spoke again. "You didn't have a nightmare last night. You never told me that they had stopped." He said, sounding slightly upset.

She mused over his observation, realising that she had in fact slept the entire night through. "They haven't. Not completely, not yet. I find that if I'm really tired, my brain is too tired to find the images, replay them through my head. Or if I'm happy before I fall asleep they stay awake too, as if my brain has a shield around it." She answered him, her voice thoughtful as she revealed this to him.

Fred placed a hand under her chin, raising it so that her eyes met his. She saw something in them, an emotion she couldn't quite place as it bubbled under the electric blue surface. "Telling lies is wrong Granger, they've gone away because you dream of me instead," He said cheekily, winking as her lower jaw dropped and her mouth popped open in surprise. She was about to send a sharp reply his way whenever she caught sight of the clock on her bedside table. It read eight fifty-one, and Hermione was due in to work at nine.

"Oh bloody hell! I'm going to be so late!" She almost screeched as she jumped up from her bed, hurrying about the room as she searched for her work-robes. "Fred, help me please!" She pleaded, lifting a clean shirt and set of underwear from her drawers and her grey court heels, trying to remember where she left her robes yesterday after discarding them. She couldn't even find her wand so she could summon them. She sighed exasperatedly, giving up for the time being and nearly ran to the bathroom across the hall, quickly washing and throwing on the clothes she hand available to her before rushing back to her room, in only her top and knickers, not even caring that Fred Weasley would see.

"Here love, these are the only ones I could find," Fred said to her as she hurried back into her room, handing her a purple and powder blue combination of robes.

"Fred they don't even match! Where's my bloody wand?" She shouted as she haphazardly pulled on the robes, thanking Fred as he managed to find her wand tucked under her pillow. Pointing her wand at the purple jacket part of her robes she quickly muttered an incantation that made it match the powder blue skirt of her robes. Grabbing her handbag she raced over to Fred and hugged him tightly, shouting a "goodbye!" as she hurried out of the room and down the stairs to the fireplace. She managed to get to the very last step when she remembered the paperwork. "Oh bloody hell!" She shouted, racing back up the stairs, meeting Fred halfway who was carrying her paperwork in his hand. "Freddie you lifesaver!" She exclaimed, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek and hurried back down the stairs and into the fireplace. With a quick flash of green and a hurried shout of "Ministry of Magic!" and she was gone.

* * *

Fred's cheek was still tingling five minutes later. He was sat at the kitchen table, a cup of tea in his hand and the same small smile gracing his lips. She'd never kissed him before, and the butterflies where crashing around in his stomach, even though it was a spur of the moment thing. He sat there in silence until he had finished his tea, and was contemplating making another whenever his mother came into the kitchen from the back yard. "Oh good morning, Fred dear. Sleep well?" She asked as she busied herself with a frying pan, magically placing rashers of bacon into the pan and setting them to cook.

Fred blushed. How did she know? Nonetheless, he played along."I did thanks, quite well indeed. Have you seen George about? Only I don't know if he's awake yet and we need to get to the shop." He said, wondering why his brother had slept in so late. Fred was generally the lazier of the too, choosing to stay in bed until the very last minute.

"He went back to the apartment last night dear, said he had some potions to brew?" His mother replied as she buttered some bread, waiting for the bacon to finish cooking.

"Blimey I completely forgot! I said I would start brewing them last night!" Fred moaned, putting his head in his hands as the guilt swept over him. He stood up and brought his mug to the sink and rinsed it out before taking the bacon sandwiches his mother had made for him, and by the looks of it George too, and kissed her on the cheek before flooing to the shop.

Coming out of the fireplace in the shop, he walked towards the storeroom where he saw his twin haunched over a steaming cauldron reading from their massive notebook, Angelina passing him ingredients as he required them. Swallowing his mouthful of food, a idea popped into his head.

"Oh, come and stir my cauldron, and if you do it right.. I'll boil you up some hot, strong love to keep you warm tonight!" Fred belted out the lyrics at the top of his voice, seeing his brother visibly cringe at the cheesy lyrics and the irony of the situation. Angelina on the other dissolved into fits of giggles, joining in with Fred as he continued to sing the song to watch his brother squirm.

"Oi you! You're meant to be on my side!" He pouted at Angelina who pulled a soppy face and reached over to kiss her fiancée.

"Eughhh, all this lovey-dovey couple stuff.." Fred said, pulling a face at his brother.

"You're one to talk Mr Cuddled-Up-In-Bed.." George replied, a sly grin on his face, causing Fred to blush deeply and mutter something about 'telling him later' and set about gathering ingredients.

An hour and a half later, enough potion had been brewed so that it could be kept in stasis until that evening and the twins decided it was time to open the shop. Angelina had left soon after Fred arrived, saying something about a press conference she needed to get too. She was recently promoted to captain of the Montrose Magpies and had to attend every single press conference that came there way, something she grumbled about greatly. She had stayed the night apparently, so it had put her in a better mood.

As soon as Fred opened the front doors, the crowds filed in and they were swamped for hours. It was only when they closed the doors again for lunch at two did they get a chance to speak. "So Freddie, did you sleep well last night?" George asked coyly as he handed his twin a mug of tea.

"Sure did Georgie, sure did. And I'm guessing you did too, or did you even get any sleep.." He retaliated, winking as his brother rolled his eyes.

They talked about nothing in particular as they ate, until Fred couldn't hold in what he was thinking any longer.

"Gred? What do you think would constitute 'significant proof?' You know, just in case I needed to petition. I mean, what if I ended up with someone like Millicent Bulstrode?" He visibly shuddered at the thought of having to procreate with her. "Or what if.. what if Hermione did get assigned to Malfoy? Or someone just as bad as him? I'd never forgive myself if she did." He finished glumly.

"But what could you have done Freddie? There's nothing you can really do if she is, not that I dont want her to be," he faltered under his brother's glare. He stayed quiet for a while before speaking again. "You never told me you liked her." He said, sounding hurt.

"I didn't know myself George, not until recently." He admitted, his heart tugging with pain as he imagine Hermione being paired with Malfoy. "Guess there's nothing I can do now but wait, eh? But I can't see us being paired though, she's too brilliant for me George. I'm not good enough, What could I do for her?" He said, his voice sounding glum. He suddenly grew angry, slamming his fist on the work top. "Damn it George! Why did I let myself get so close with her, only for her to be stolen by some other wizard from right under my nose. I can't get any closer, I won't. It's not fair." He said, a note of finality in his voice as he waved his wand to clear up the work-top and went to go open the shop doors again, still angry with himself.

George hoped for his brother's sake that he soon saw sense, that he was good enough. They were perfect together, he thought. They balanced each other out. Plus, Hermione wasn't going to take to being ignored easily. Sighing, he put on a smile and greeted a customer who had just approached the sales desk. "Hi there, do you need some help.."

* * *

Hermione had made it into work just in the nick of time. She was meeting with dignitaries from the French and Swiss Ministries of Magic and she managed to reach her office just in time for her assistant to knock on the door and see if she was ready for the meeting. "Yes, Timmy, bring them in," she smiled kindly at her assistant. She had grown very fond of him over the last year. Returning her smile, he lead the dignitaries in.

"Ahh bonjour Mademoiselle Granger! Eet is tres accommodating of you to meet wiz us at such short notice!" One of the ladies said kindly, her accent thick. She was the French official. Hermione had visited France and Switzerland often enough to distinguish between the two dialects, though to an inexperienced ear it might not have been so easy.

"Bonjour Madame Vallet," She kissed the French woman on the cheek before moving to the Swiss official, "Et vous, Mademoiselle Henrik, please sit!" She said to the women, smiling kindly. "Would you like some tea, or coffee if you prefer..."

Two hours later, her visitors had left and Hermione finally let out a sigh of relief. Just six more hours and she could go home. Just six more hours. She repeated this over and over again in her head, dragging a fresh pile of paperwork towards her and got stuck in.

It was not until four o'clock did Hermione finally set her quill down and relax for a minute. She reclined in her chair and stretched her arms out to release the tension. It was quiet in the department, less chatter than there usually was. She attributed it to the fact that many of her colleagues had been celebrating yesterday and were most likely hungover. Smiling to herself, she picked up her quill once more and was just about to start writing again whenever Timmy stuck his head around her door. "Miss Granger? Mr Cloverfield wants to see you in his office. He said it was urgent." The boy relayed to her.

She sighed and stood up, wondering what Grant was looking now. "Thank you Timmy. And how many times have I told you, it's Hermione. You're older than me, remember?" She teased her assistant, patting his arm as she walked past him towards her boss' office.

"Yes Grant?" She asked, not hiding the weariness in her voice as she looked at her boss as he sat behind his desk, reading the Prophet.

"Ah Hermione, did you enjoy your day off yesterday?" He asked, a glint in his eye as he appraised her body. Feeling unnerved, she wished she had thought to put her robe back on, for she was only in a sheer grey blouse and her robe's matching skirt.

"Yes, I did. I got through my paperwork." She stated, not telling Grant any more than she waned him to know.

"Ahh good good, keeping up with work is always handy," He said loudly, smiling sardonically at her. "I saw that you sent your sample back pretty sharply last night, most weren't returned until this morning," He looked at her quizzically, slightly shocked by her eagerness at something he expected her to detest.

"Yes well I was only one of two people in the house that were single, so we thought better to be prompt than too late." She replied curtly, keeping a steely eye contact with him.

"Ah yes, you live with the Weasleys, correct?" He asked, gaining a sharp not in return. "So who else is single in that household?" He asked, as if he were genuinely interested.

"I'm sure if you knew that my sample had arrived, you would know who's arrived alongside it." She replied, not wanting to play any games with her boss. He simply nodded and smiled at her quick thinking.

"Yes, Fred Weasley. I was quite surprised to see that he was single, I must admit. But my surprise was even greater when I found out you were too, my dear." He said, causing Hermione to shudder when he called her 'dear'. He was only two or three years her elder, but he reminded her of a slimy old man. He stood up and moved around his desk, leaning against the front of it as he invited her to sit in front of him. "Yes, quite surprised indeed." He said as he eyed up her slender legs as she sat down.

"Did you want something in particular Grant or can I leave? I have a bit of work yet to do before I leave for the day." She said, pulling her skirt down surreptitiously in an attempt to cover more of her exposed legs.

"Oh my dear, can't we just talk the time to talk, get to know one another a bit better? After all, I am single too you know, and who knows what may happen. We might just end up being paired with one another," he said softly as he placed a hand on her leg.

"Well, I hope for both out sakes we do not, Grant. " She said as she pushed his hand away and made to get up, but he was too quick. He had her arms pinned to the armrests on the chair and his face was millimetres away from hers, and it was taking on a reddish glow.

"We shall see Hermione. Just remember, I am head of the Marriage Law team, therefore I have the ultimate say on petitions. Don't forget, I am also your boss. Kingsley doesn't have as much say over me as you think he does." He said, almost spitting on her and let her go, pacing back behind his desk.

Hermione stood up to leave, shaking as she did so and feeling sick to her stomach. He wouldn't do such a thing. Or would he? He got this law passed in the first place..

"Enjoy your evening. Say hello to Fred for me, won't you?" He smiled the same sardonic smile he had given her earlier, and she turned on her heels and returned to her office, burying her head in the last of her paperwork.

She didn't pass on the message to Fred, simply because he wasn't at the Burrow that night. Or the next, nor the next.

He didn't come back until the morning of the 8th, his letter in his hand and Hermione's in hers.

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	5. Chapter 5

**Keep reviewing guys, it's really motivational! This one's for you, TheAngelOnYourRight! :-***

** Enjoy!**

** Chapter Five**

Hermione clutched the letter that had just arrived for her in her hand, the anticipation eating her up. Everyone else's letters had arrived, but it wasn't anywhere near as daunting for them. Their lives weren't going to change. Their letters had revealed their perfect matches were the people they were engaged too. She didn't know who she was due to marry. She would have to leave her family behind and live with someone else. Maybe even Grant.

Feeling sick to her stomach, she wished that Fred would give some indication as to whether or not he would come here to open his letter. She had sat beside the fireplace waiting on him to arrive. He hadn't been to the Burrow all week, and didn't eat lunch when she came to the shop, nor did he join in last night for their weekly night in. Had she said or done something to hurt him?

Maybe he'd already opened it, and had gone off to meet his new wife-to-be, the newest Mrs Weasley. She sorely wished it was her who's name was on his letter and his name on hers. This week had given her time to think and to sort out her feelings, and she definitely knew she had some feelings about the red-head in question. But here she was standing, too afraid to open her letter in case she saw the name she feared. Deciding that it was now or never, she took a deep breath and moved to slide her finger under the flap of the envelope.

Suddenly, the flash of green light filled the room and two red heads and a dark-skinned brunette emerged, George wearing a huge grin as he lead Angelina towards the kitchen were everyone else was, Fred looking quite pale as he caught Hermione's eye and sat beside her. "Hey you, you ready?" He asked, his hand visibly shaking.

She breathed an audible sigh of relief that he had came, for she didn't think she could do it without him. "Ready as I'll ever been," She replied, smirking slightly and echoing his words from last week. "One..two..three!"

Ripping open the letter with trembling hands, she tried to focus on the text in front of her as the page shook gently.

_Miss Hermione Jean Granger_

_As you are well aware, this letter contains the name of your Ministry approved partner._

_You are reminded of the requirements of the Marriage Law set out in previous correspondence and we encourage you to re-read these requirements to refamiliarise yourself. You are also reminded of the deadlines these requirements must be met by and the consequences if they are not met._

_After an intense analysis of both your and your approved partner's core heartstring it has been decided that the wizard you are to marry is Mr Frederick Gideon Weasley._

_Please make arrangements to meet with your partner within the next forty-eight hours to discuss necessary plans._

_Have a pleasant day,_

_Marital Law Team_

_Dept. Of Magical Law_

A flood of relief rushed through Hermione as she realised she hadn't been paired with Grant or Malfoy. And then it was as if hippogriffs had envaded her stomach as she realised the man she was now sitting beside was the man she was set to marry. She had been paired with him, and her heart was fluttering wildly. But did he even want to be paired with her? Looking up from her letter just in time to see his eyes widen when they saw her name, she waited for his reaction, her nerves eating away at her.

He could do so much better than me, she thought glumly. He was gorgeous, with his shaggy hair, deep blue eyes and a sparkling smile, as well as a Quidditch-honed body to boot, he could have had any witch he wanted. Yet he was stuck with her.

He can't even pretend to be happy, she despaired, her tears nearly overflowing when she suddenly felt his strong arms encircle her, his soft voice tickling her ear as he whispered how much he'd wanted it to be her.

Now she really did cry, hot tears of relief flowing down her cheeks as she told him the same thing. "But why didn't you avoid me all week?" She asked, her confusion setting in again.

He took her still shaking hands in his own and stared at them while he spoke. "I didn't want to keep falling deeper and deeper whenever there was always the chance that I could have been paired with someone else. I didn't want to hurt you by leading you on. So I avoided you. And then I slept in this morning and thought you might have opened yours already and left. But I guess I needn't have worried." He said, looking up at her and giving her a lopsided smile, squeezing her small hands in his.

"You guys got paired?!" George shouted as he walked into the room to find out what had happened, catching sight of their entwined hands and goofy smiles. His outburst caused everyone else from the kitchen to come flooding into the living room.

"I knew it! Didn't I tell you Harry!"

"You told me Gin, I believe you know."

"All that worry for nothing mate! Knew it would go this way!"

"Fred? Really? You're going to marry Fred, my own brother?" Came Ron's angry reply, his face reddening as he pushed past George and walked over to the newly-paired couple. Hermione caught the gleam in his eyes and pre-empted his punch, catching his hand in her own as he swung fiercely for his brother's face.

"Yes Ron. I'm going to marry him." She replied, pushing his hand away and staring into his eyes.

"You can't he's n.."

"You have no say in this, you lost that right whenever proposed to Lavender. And judging by everyone's reaction they're more than happy, so you're a minority Ronald. Now go find Lavender and whine to her, see how well she takes it." Hermione interrupted before standing up, Fred still holding her other hand and led him outside to go for a walk.

* * *

"So.. You're my wife to be then?" Fred said softly as they reached the edge of the lake next to the Burrow. He could hardly believe his luck. He was going to marry Hermione Granger.

"I guess so," She replied, smiling as he sat down at the lakeside and pulled her down next to him. "Do you have any dates in mind, or do you want to wait and talk to your mother about it?

Fred threw her a look, "The more we organise now, the less she can change." He remembered Bill's wedding and all the work and stress it caused. "What about the end of July? Maybe the 23rd?" He suggested, stroking the back of her hand gently.

"Yes, okay. But why that date in particular?" She asked, wondering.

"It was the first time you came over to the appartment and we started our tradition. So we could make it official with our wedding?" He asked, embarrassment lacing his voice as he spoke of the memory.

"Oh Freddie, that's so sweet how you remember!" She cooed. "23rd of July it is then." She agreed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Mum will be adament that it be held at the Burrow, but I can't say I disagree with her, if it's alright wth you?" He asked, as she nodded in reply.

They sat in relative silence, the only noise the occasional splash of water as a fish surfaced.

"I'm so glad it's you Hermione." He whispered.

"Me too, Fred. I didn't want to be matched with anyone else." She replied as he pulled her in closer to his body.

"Will you have dinner with me some night soon? A date I guess, get to know one another?" He asked, chewing on his lower lip as the nerves built up inside him.

"Of course I will Fred, it sounds like a lovely idea!" She answered enthusiastically. He turned his head to look at her, throwing her a lopsided grin, causing a slight blush to rise.

"Beautiful," He whispered as he lifted his free hand to stroke her pink cheek, causing her to blush more deeply.

Slowly, their heads moved closer, unbeknownst to either. Their faces where inches from each other when a large fish jumped from the lake, splashing them slightly as it re-entered the water and causing the couple to jump apart.

"Err..should we go tell Mum the happy news?" Fred asked, taking his turn to blush.

They stood up, linking hands again and made the short journey back to the Burrow.

* * *

Gesturing for Hermione to stay outside for a few minutes longer, Fred entered the kitchen alone and saw his mother at the table, reading a cookery book. "Hello Mum," he greeted cheerfully, placing a kiss on her cheek.

"Hello dear," She greeted back, patting his cheek as he embraced her. "Did you get your letter this morning? You must invite her over some evening for dinner so we can meet her." His mother told him, flipping the page of her book.

"Actually Mum, she's here now if you want to meet her?" He asked, trying not to smile too much.

"Fred you should have warned me, at least I could have made something for dinner. Merlin what will she think!" Mrs Weasley fretted, tidying herself up in a panic.

"Relax dearest mother, I guarantee she will love it her, and you will love her. She's a great witch, let me just get her.." He said as he left the kitchen to bring Hermione in

"You left her outside?!" His mother gasped in shock. "I did not raise you that way Fred Weasley!" She scolded as she stood up to make some tea.

Excellent, Fred thought as they returned to the kitchen to find his mother with her back to them. Squeezing Hermione's hand and smiling at her, he cleared his throat. "Mum, meet my wife to be." He said as his mother turned around.

"Oh hello Hermione dear, I was wondering wher.. Hermione?!" She almost squealed when she realised what Fred had just done. "You're getting married to Fred?! Oh my dears congratulations! I knew this would happen! Oh I'm so pleased, you really will be my daughter! Not that I didn't think if you as such before but.." Fred rolled his eyes as his mother encased them both into a bone-crushing hug. "We must celebrate! I'll make something extra specia tonight." She told them, bustling over to her cookbook.

"Oh no, Mum you don't have too.." Fred told her.

"Nonsense my dear! Now of you go you pair," She said, chasing them out of the kitchen.

* * *

The kitchen of the Burrow was much too small, given there were twelve of them for dinner. Instead, the tables had been set outside and everyone was sat down, ready to eat. Percy and his fiancee Audrey had joined them for dinner, though Bill and Fleur could not make it as they were currently in France, and Charlie was unable to make it either. He was also paired with a witch, given he was of British birth, though he had yet to meet her. He would be home in two days time.

"Now then, is everyone here? Molly and I wanted to congratulate Fred and Hermione on their engagement. Hermione dear, I am so very happy you will be part of my family." Mr Weasley said from one end of the table as he smiled fondly at the brunette down the table from him, and Fred smiled across the table at her too, thrilled that everyone was happy for them.

"How come I didn't get such a loving welcome to the family when we got engaged?" Lavender stage-whispered, her voice cold. Mr Weasley's smiled faultered, and Ginny looked thoroughly peeved.

"Maybe because Hermione already is family, and will be more welcome here than you'll ever be." The fiery red-head said, staring coldly at her brother's fiancee.

"Enough Ginevra. Dig in everyone!" Mrs Weasley cheerfully called from the top of the table, avoiding a fight. Yet she didn't seen too bothered about Ginny's remark.

Lavender looked shocked, and made a petulant huff as she picked at her food. Fred caught Hermione's eye and rolled his eyes, winking as he gently kicked her leg under the table. Their game of footsie continued all throughout dinner, a constant smile on each of their faces.

Soon, it was time for everyone to part ways and got to their own homes. Fred, who had spent the evening cosied up on the sofa talking to his siblings with Hermione tucked up beside him, accompanied her up the stairs to bid her goodnight. "Well err.. I guess this is goodnight then?" He said shyly as they reached her room.

"I guess so. I had a lovely day Fred, thank-you." She replied sincerly as she looked into his deep blue eyes. They really did mesmerise her.

"Just wait until our date, love. I will knock your socks off!" He told her, winking as she blushed. "I'd better go, have to open up early tomorrow. See you at lunch?" He asked her, cupping her cheek with his hand. She nodded, blushing at his touch. She almost passed out as she felt his lips press against her cheek, his cologne filling her nose and intoxicting her.

"Bye," she whispered almost dizzily as he walked back down the stairs, smiling his lopsided smile. She was fast asleep in no time, dreaming of red hair and blue eyes.

**They were matched! But will all be well from here on? Muaha you'll have to wait and see ;-)**

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	6. Chapter 6

**Hope you're enjoying this :)**

**Chapter Six**

Hearing her alarm ring, Hermione awoke to an empty bedroom. Ginny was away with the Holyhead Harpies to Ireland for four days for a tournament. She took a deep breathe of content, for now she could make as much noise as she wanted without waking the fiery red-head. Humming to herself as she walked to the bathroom across the hall, she smiled as she remembered yesterday's events.

After a quick shower, she towelled and dried herself, twisting her hair into a bun at the nape of her neck . Over the years, her hair had tamed down significantly, and it had also increased in length, making it easier to control in the mornings. Casting several charms to ensure it did not frizz, she left the bathroom and returned to her room, catching sight of the black owl that had just landed on her windowsill. Reaching out to take the letter tied to its leg, she caught side of the small tag around it's neck. A magenta ribbon holding a small golden token with a small WWW printed on it. It was Fred's owl, she determined. Opening the parchment up, she discovered she was indeed correct.

_Hermione,_

_Morning love, hope you slept well? Georgie and I aren't going to be at the shop for most of the day, in case you were planning on coming over at lunch. However, I do believe you promised me your presence at dinner some time, so would you like to join me tonight if it suits you? Send back a reply with Gilbert, but be careful, he likes to bite. We should be back to the flat around six, so pop over whenever you want after that. You know, if you want too._

_Hoping to see you later love, _

_Fred_

Smiling as she read the letter once more, she found a quill and wrote a reply back to Fred, accepting his offer and telling him she would be at the flat around seven-thirty. That gave her plenty of time to get home from work, get showered and dressed appropriately.

Only, what was appropriate in a situation such as theirs? They were already engaged, so it wasn't as if she was trying to impress him too much. But she still had to impress him. But where were they going? A restaurant or staying in the flat? Should she dress formally or casual-formal? Why did this have to be so confusing, she thought. She sent Gilbert back to his own, narrowly avoiding being nipped on the finger twice.

Sighing as she mentally went through her wardrobe and Ginny's as she pulled on her dress robes and still remaining clueless as to what she could wear, she scribbled a reminder for herself on the sheet of paper on her bedside locker. "Floo Ginny when you get home and ask for help."

Grabbing her handbag, she left her bedroom and descended the stairs to the kitchen, ready to face a new day.

* * *

Fred smiled to himself as he read Hermione's reply for the eighth time that day. It was only half twelve and he could not wait until that evening. He had it all planned, a mouth-watering dinner made by his own fair hands and a romantic stroll afterwards. But first he had some business to attend to. "You ready George? We need to get going if we're going to get some lunch first!" He shouted into the storeroom of the shop as he pointed his wand at the sign on the door, flipping it from "open" to "closed".

"I keep telling you, it doesn't take that long mate," George said almost frustratedly as he climbed the stairs leading up to the shop, dusting off his hands as he went. "It only took Angie two hours, tops!" He said, glaring at his brother. After a particularly busy morning, George could have done with a nap. Verity was sick and so hadn't been in for the last three days, so he had had to take it in turns with Fred to man the till and fetch more stock. He almost tore his hair out when a particularly giddy child managed to knock over an entire display of Skiving Snackboxes, scattering the contents everywhere and promptly vomited over them all, due to a puking pastille the boy had eaten moments before.

"Yes well dear twin, you had your fiancée with you to select what exactly she wanted. I do not have that convenience and so you will just have to stop looking like Umbridge sucking on a lemon and put on a brave face," Fred said sweetly, half guiding his twin towards the door, "Besides, I told you I'd buy you lunch and make you dinner later on," he said, knowing the mention of food would entice his brother.

"Alright, alright, come on then," George said gruffly, setting the wards around the shop and their flat with his wand before apparating down the road, hot on his twin's tail.

* * *

Hermione had not had a minute to herself so far all day. She had only arrived in her office when Timmy appeared, a disposable mug of peppermint tea for her in his hand and the news that a morning of inter-departmental meetings had been organised, six of them to be exact, and her presence was needed at every one. Taking off her jacket and throwing it over the back of her chair, she gratefully accepted the tea from Timmy and the schedule he held and walked down the corridor to the room where inter-departmental meetings where held.

The first meeting didn't take very long, not at all. The second took an hour. The third however, was bordering on three and a half hours, and Hermione was finding it hard to keep her eyes open.

"Why don't we allow Fillius to speak and he c.." She blocked out the monotone voice currently speaking. All the attendee's of this meeting apart from Hermione where male, and they all sounded the exact same. Her thoughts began to wonder. What were Fred's plans for this evening? She had thought of owling him at some point during this third meeting of the day, to clarify about how she should dress, until she realised that he wouldn't be at the shop to receive it.

"Merlin Fillius! How in Merlin's name did you come to that conclusion my lad?" Exclaimed Barney Puffleson, a colleague of Hermione's.

Catching sight of the clock and seeing it was bordering on two o'clock, she spoke up for the first time in over an hour. A rumbling growl of hunger sounded in her stomach, "Excuse me gentlemen, but perhaps we could pause this for a while and have some lunch?" She suggested, relief filling her body as they all nodded in agreement.

Finally sitting at her own desk, in her own comfortable chair, she lifted her handbag and retrieved the sandwiches Mrs Wealsey had made for her this morning. Suddenly, her hunger intensified and she dug in, savouring every mouthful of the tuna salad sandwich. Flicking through the Daily Prophet that had been left on her desk for her this morning, she caught sight of a WWW advertisement, and immediatley her thoughts returned to Fred and what 'business' he and his brother where up too.

* * *

"What about that one?" George's quiet voice sounded as he pointed to a gold band with three huge diamonds set in it.

"Nah, too flashy." Came Fred's equivocally quiet dismissal. "This one?" He asked, pointing to a silver ring with an emerald in it. "Oh no wait, Slytherin colours. Eugh.." He dismissed his own suggestion as George smiled.

"Hard, isn't it mate? Be much easier if Hermione was here herself.." He tailed off, hoping his brother would agree with him.

"Yes George, it is hard. Doesn't mean I'm going to give up, and neither are you. We are going to find the perfect ring today and I am going to surprise her with it tonight. Not tomorrow, nor the next day. Tonight." He said, his voice so full of determination George took a step away from him, slightly scared at his brother's manic expression.

A few more minutes of silence ensued as Fred moved to the other end of Brown and Tulifers, the jewellers in Diagon Alley. They had already been here an hour, and had spent three hours in Muggle London before that, all to no avail. He gazed in the display units, ring after ring, diamond after diamond passing by his eyes as he looked for the one ring that would jump out at him. He hadn't thought this through at all. Did he want white or yellow gold? Big or small stone? What colour of stone?

Soon though, George had came up with his answer. "Freddie, come here!It looks like our hair," He half whispered, trying not to laugh. Fred approached the cabinet his brother was standing before, and almost immediatley he saw the very ring he had been searching for the entire time.

It was a silver band, a cluster of small diamonds surrounding a tear drop shaped stone that was a perfect match for the colour of the Weasley's hair. Fred smiled at the sentimentality of such a ring. There would be no doubt that Hermione would forget who she was engaged to when she looked at the ring.

"George it's perfect," Fred breathed, "But is it too much?" He asked as the doubt filled his mind.

"No mate, she'll never forget who she's engaged too when she looks at this," George said, smiling to himself. Fred smiled too, mentally laughing at George's comment replicating his own thoughts.

"Let's take it then," Fred smiled as he approached the main desk, dinging the small bell with exaggerated enthusiasm and waited for an assistant, almost whistling with happiness.

"Can I help you sir?" A rather pompous man asked as he came through the door behind the desk.

"Indeed you can, my friend." Fred replied cheerfully, "I would like to purchase this ring, if you could be so kind as to retrieve it for me?" He asked politely, indicating the ring he wanted.

As the ring was placed in a small black ring box and placed into a bag, George almost sighed in relief as he realised that they were done here, and could finally go back to the flat and he could sleep peacefully.

* * *

Looking at her watch as she hurried back to her office to collect her things, Hermione realised it was almost half past five, leaving her with only an hour and a half to get ready. Almost racing to her office, she told herself to calm down. "Relax Hermione, you have plenty of time, just go home, get showered and dressed.." She muttered to herself as she opened her office door, not noticing the man standing at her window.

"Date tonight, Miss Granger?" Came Grant's slimy voice, causing her to jump as she gathered her paperwork.

Composing herself as she reached for her jacket and slipped it on, she answered her boss. "Yes actually, I'm meeting with my fiancée for dinner." She smiled to herself as she thought of Fred as her fiancée. "Why do you ask, Grant?" She asked, not really paying attention to him as she looked around the room for her missing stack of paperwork. It had been given to her earlier, but she hadn't had time to look at it. All she knew was that it had something to do with petitions.

"Ah yes, Mr Fred Weasley if I'm correct?" Grant asked as he approached her, playing with something behind his back. She nodded distractedly, not really listening. "Yes, yes. I think you were one of the most suitable partners we found, almost ninety eight percent compatibility on your core heartstrings. I assume you are pleased?" He asked, gaining another distracted nod. "Well, I hope you enjoy your evening Hermione. Are you looking for this, by any chance?" He asked, holding out the missing folder of paperwork.

"Yes, that's exactly what i'm looking for, thank you very much." She said, eyeing the man with suspicion.

"You might want to read through that as soon as possible. It contains some, ahh.. interesting information you might wish to know about. Good night, Hermione." He said, smirking as he left the room.

Wondering why he had seemed so smug whilst saying that, she momentarily sat down and looked at the file.

_Marital Law Partner Petitions_

_(Monday 9__th__ May 1999)_

_The following petitions have been received this morning by the Marital Law team and are pending approval;_

_Oliver Wood, petitioning for Katie Bell against Adam Camberwell_

_Lucy Marie Dwight, petitioning for Ryan MacCabe against Charlene Tilly Davids_

_Fay Dunbar, petitioning for Seamus Finnigan against Aoife Oonagh Murphy_

The list went on and on, unsurprisingly, thought Hermione. She had suspected that there would be quite a large number of petitions, though she knew very few, if any where to be agreed upon.

Scanning through the list, she noticed more names reminiscent of her Hogwarts days, and had almost given up on finding this 'interesting information' Grant had mentioned when she finally found it.

_Grant William Cloverfield, petitioning for Hermione Jean Granger against Fredrick Gideon Weasley_

Trying to stem the tears that were threatening to flow over, Hermione lifted the file and handbag and turned on the spot, dying to get into a hot shower and forget this until tomorrow.

* * *

Fred finally had everything sorted. The table was set, complete with floating candles and Butterbeer. The pasta and chicken Carbonara was cooked, and was held under a warming charm. He was freshly showered and had a nice blue shirt on, one he had borrowed from George. George had be fed and had buggered off to Angelina's presumably for the night. The ring was tucked into Fred's jacket pocket, waiting to be presented to it's new owner later on. All that was left was for Hermione to arrive.

Fred had only sat down on the sofa when the green flash of the Floo network filled the living room, and Hermione emerged. Merlin she looks good! He thought to himself. She was wearing a deep purple dress that nipped in at the waist, flaring out delicately over her hips and ending just above her knees. On her feet were a pair of gold shoes, with just enough heel height to make her appear taller, but that she could actually walk in. Good, Fred thought to himself, Ginny steered her in the right direction. Of course he had told his little sister of his plan.

After appraising her outfit, his eyes lifted to look at her face, the most beautiful part of her outfit. He noticed a sheet of parchment in her hand on his way up, wondering what it was. Their eyes met, and they both smiled at each other. Until Fred noticed the tears glistening in her eyes. "Mione love, you alright?" He asked. She just burst into tears and handed him the sheet of parchment.

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	7. Chapter 7

**So I got my AS Results today.**

**3A's and a freaking C! I passed physics! :-D**

**Just purely because I'm so happy, extra long chapter :* so please reward me with extra long reviews/telling others about this/both! :)**

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**Chapter Seven**

"Mione? What's wrong?" Fred asked, started to feel really panicked. What has so bad that she was in such a state. She had thrust the sheaf of parchment she held to him, but her grasp was so tight he feared he would rip it. "Mione love, come on and sit down." He coaxed, leading her over to the soft grey sofa he had been sitting on minutes prior. "Come on now, shusshh.." He soothed, gently tugging at the parchment, finally releasing it from her grip. It can't be that bad, could it? He asked himself gently.

Yes. It could.

"How do you know that Cloverfield git?" He asked, his voice a deadly whisper.

"He's my..boss.." She managed to whisper, hiccuping through her tears. Frowning, he gripped her hand and ran soothing circles on her skin with his thumb, a gesture indicating he was not angry with her. She shook as she tried to calm herself down, what little make up she wore had smudged and left her with black marks around her eyes. A stray tear rolled down her cheek, and he reached up to catch it, stroking her cheekbone with his thumb as he did. She closed her eyes and exhaled heavily, her sweet breath blowing in his face.

If he wasn't so angry and she so upset, he would have pulled her towards him and kissed her, wanting to taste her lips.

"H-h-how do you k-know him?" She asked quietly, her eyes opening and meeting with his.

"He was the year above me in Hogwarts. When George and I were in second year we tried out for the Quidditch team, there was only one beater's space free. But we're twins, so of course we're as good as each other. And we were better than every other person that tried out, and the existing Beater. So Wood made us bother beaters, effectively kicking the other beater off the team. That was Cloverfield. He tried to make our lives hell the rest of that year, constantly starting fights. Git broke my nose and a rib, ended up in the Hospital Wing for a week, told Mum I fell down the stairs," He told her, grimacing at the memory. His knuckles instinctively flexed as he thought of the older wizard, itching to get his own back.

And now he was trying to steal his fiancee!

"He's head of the department Fred, he'll pass his own petition." She whispered quietly, fidgeting with the sleeve of her dress and avoiding his eyes.

"Well, we'll just have to do something about that won't we," He told her, cupping her chin in his hand and making her look into his eyes again. "Hermione, I won't let the git take you away from me. Not in a million years. I've waited too long to find out my feelings for you, and I'm not about to lose you. You mean too much to me. You saved my life, and I intend to be yours until I die." Her told her, his voice so sincere he thought someone else had possessed him. It didn't sound like him, but deep down Fred knew what he said was one hundred percent true. "If you'll let me.." He added softly, her deep brown eyes entrancing him, drawing him in closer to her face. He'd waited so long to do this.

He could feel her warm breath tickle his lips as their faces grew closer together. He was centimetres away from pressing his lips to hers when the unmistakeable sound of apparition cracked through the room, and a apologetic looking George stood before them, his one remaining ear turning a vivid shade of red. "Sorry, forgot my wallet.." He tailed off, rushing into his bedroom whilst mouthing a quick apology to Fred.

Trust George, Fred thought to himself, whatever happened to twin telepathy. Sighing to himself, he looked back at Hermione, watching as the last hints of a blush receded whilst she used her wand to remove her smudged make-up. "Impeccable timing, eh?" he laughed, grabbing hold of her hands as she nodded and smiled shyly in return, pulling her off the sofa and leading her into the kitchen so that they could eat. "I made Carbonara, if that's okay with you? I wasn't sure what you liked but I know whenever Mum makes something with pasta you can clear your plate in no time," He teased as he sat her down at the impeccably set table and set about dishing up the meal. He whistled to himself softly as set a plate in front of her and sat down to his own,. "don't worry if you don't want to eat it, I made it myself so it's probably nowhere near as good as Mum's. If you don't want to eat it I can make you something else or we could.." He stopped talking, realising her was rambling and started smiling as she took his hand from across the table.

"It's perfect Fred." She said simply, before picking up her fork and digging in. Pouring her a glass of wine, Fred blushed slightly. No-one had ever said something so appreciative about his efforts. Several minutes and a few appreciative 'mmm's' later, she looked at him sheepishly. He laughed at the shy smile that creeped up onto her face, "Um Fred? Could I have some more, please?"

An hour later, the slightly tipsy pair had finished two plates of pasta and a slice of lemon and ginger cheesecake, courtesy of Mrs Weasley, alongside a bottle of wine between the both of them. Conversation had flowed between them as easily as it ever was, and they had remained holding hands the entire tire, only letting go for Fred to sort out desert. "You done?" He asked her as she patted her flat-stomach appreciatively, smiling at how cute she looked with slightly flushed cheeks and her hair somewhat wild after escaping the confines of her bun.

"I think so," She replied as she leaned towards him, stroking the back of his hand as she spoke," So what's next, dear fiancée?" She asked. Apparently her confidence grew with her alcohol intake, Fred noted. Best keep her away from the wine for the rest of the night. Pulling himself closer to her, he could smell her floral perfume radiating off her.

"Well, my dear, I was thinking we could go for a walk, if one felt so inclined?" He asked, his voice growing huskier the closer he got to her face. Once again, he found himself close enough to her lips he could almost feel them brushing against his, and with no George there to ruin the moment, maybe now he could finally kiss her. Her breathing hitched as she realised his proximity to her, and in her haste to meet his lips, he heard a clattering and a sicking squelch as she leant over the remainder of the cheesecake, causing it to leave a messy imprint on her dress.

"Oh Merlin! Ginny's going to kill me when she sees this!" She gasped, trying to siphon as much of the dessert off the front of the borrowed dress before it could stain. Fred jumped up, ever the chivalrous gentleman and ran to the sink, grabbing a damp cloth and handed it to her, watching as she dabbed at the quickly forming stain.

"Hang on, stay there.." He called as he left the kitchen, heading towards his bedroom. Searching in his drawers, he found a old t-shirt that was small enough to fit Hermione and a pair of old sweats he usually wore to bed. Hurrying back to the kitchen he found the once fully dressed witch standing with the dress over her head, trying to tug it off without causing any more damage. Luckily she was too distracted, as her dignity would be out the window if she knew her underwear was on complete show, and Fred didn't think he would be able to control himself much longer. "Here love, let me help you," He told her as he walked over, trying hard to keep calm and hold in the nervous laugh that was bubbling up his throat. His extra several inches of height compared to her proved advantageous as he easily lifted the dress over her head, bursting out laughing as he caught sight of her face, which had splodges of cheesecake all over it.

"Oh shove of Weasley," she said as she filled the sink with warm water and left the dress in there to soak.

"Here love, you might want to put these on.." He mumbled as he looked at the floor, not wanting to meet her eye.

"Oh dear Merlin," She whispered a she realised she was standing in only her black bra and frilly knickers. A deep blush shot up her cheeks as she gratefully accepted the bundle of clothing on offer and ran from the kitchen, most likely in search of the bathroom.

"Second on the left!" He called to her as he thought to himself, the image of her body stuck in his mind. She shouldn't hide her figure, he thought. She was curvy in all the right places, in total proportion to her petite frame. But she chose to hide it under baggy work-robes, and even at the weekends she hid under baggy jumpers and t-shirts. Though the thought of her wearing anything revealing in work made his stomach turn, particulary as she worked for that leach. Hearing the water run in the bathroom distracted him, and soon he heard the door creaking open and the soft footfalls of the witch padding down his hallway. Smiling as he took in her appearance, he gestured for her to follow him into the living room. She looked good in his clothes, he thought. "Still up for that walk then?" He asked as he reached for his jacket.

"Sure," She smiled, before looking down at her feet. "But I need shoes, I don't think I can wear my other ones with these," She said, laughing gently.

Thinking for a moment, Fred walked past her, squeezing her shoulder as he did, and went into George's room. He knew Angie had to have left a pair or two in here, she stayed over often enough. Sure enough, after a few minutes of searching he found a pair of white tennis shoes. Grabbing a pair of clean sport socks from George's drawer, he walked back to the living room and handed her the goods, gaining a thankful smile in return.

* * *

Hermione Granger had never felt so mortified in her life. Imagine flashing your underwear to your fiancée, who you hadn't even kissed yet! At least she had the sense to put on a decent set, rather than the usual cartoon knickers she was fond of. She made a mental note to thank Ginny for making her buy the frilly black set. Or on seconds thoughts, she thought, I won't thank her, too many questions.

Fred was so sweet, fetching her some clean clothes. Even better, they smelt like him so she was constantly enveloped in his scent. It was only when she pulled on the t-shirt did she realise it wasn't cologne that was so enticing to her, it was his natural smell. One that could only wear it's way into clothing after having been worth often.

After putting the borrowed shoes on, she took his hand and smiled at him, then suddenly felt the familiar stomach-turning pull of apparition. She didn't know where she was being lead too, but she trusted Fred, and the excitement built in her as they landed at their destination. It was beginning to darken down slightly, so the sky was turning a dusky pink. In front of them was a forested area, a small gravel path twisting off to their right, flanked either side by tall, coniferous trees. The familiar pine smell of Christmas filled her nostrils as she was pulled towards the path by Fred, a smile growing on his face.

"We need to walk a bit to get to the place, if that's okay with you?" he asked her, as she noticed his eyes twinkle with emotion. She couldn't quite place it, but if she knew Fred Weasley she knew he was planning something.

"Fine with me, Fredrick, lead on!" She exclaimed as she waited for him to walk, earning a nudge in the ribs at the use of his full name.

"Right-o Herm-own-ninny, ve shall fly over the mountains on our broom-sticks like ve vere international quidditch players!" He exclaimed as he pretended to mount his broom, before sprinting off into the forest, his hand stick firmly attached to Hermione's, who was squealing with laughter at madness of it.

Merlin, what am I getting myself involved with? She asked herself.

* * *

Fred practically ran the whole way from the start of the gravel path right up to the small clearing, dragging Hermione along-side him. He was not breathless in the least, given his years of Quidditch training, but the same couldn't be said for the witch bent over beside him, gasping for air as she tried to ease the stitch in her side.

"You'd..think..after being..on..the run..for almost a year.. I'd be as.. fit.. as a fiddle! Obviously..not.." She panted as Fred rubbed her back, feeling guilty he had made her run herself into such a state. Leading her to the picnic blanket he had set up earlier, he gently eased her down, her hands clinging onto his arms as she lowered to the ground. It took her a few minutes to notice her surroundings, but when she did her face was priceless.

"Fred!" She gasped, taking in the scenery. He had come here after finding the ring, and had turned it into a place of magic. Fluffy fairy lights laced through the lower branches of the surrounding trees, their soft pink light casting an ethereal glow on the land. Small, magically created butterflies fluttered around them, leaving a path of glitter in the air. A soft picnic blanket was beneath them, cushioning them from the hard ground beneath them, a small picnic basket sat on the edge. Her mouth formed a perfect 'o' shape, a soft gasp escaping her lips as she found something else too see. "Freddie, it's amazing!" She said, turning to look at him, the wonderment alive and dancing in her eyes.

The butterflies seemed to have found their way into Fred's stomach, nerves he hadn't felt all evening finally kicking in as he remembered his plan. He soon forgot all about his plan though, when Hermione shivered, causing her hair to disturb the still air and sending a wave of mint shampoo over Fred. His stomach fluttered even harder as he noticed her soft lips, opening and closing as she gasped and smiled at the magical creatures floating by her. She once again shivered, and it was only now did Fred notice the cooling air and Hermione's lack of a jacket.

"Oh bloody hell Hermione I'm sorry," He said as he stripped off his jacket and held it out to her, "I meant to grab you a jacket before we left," He said sadly, berating himself for not considering how cold it might me. He helped her into the soft fleece jacket and zipped it up gently, pulling the hood up too for good measure and laughing as she pulled a grumpy face, before she burst out laughing too.

Fred had completely forgotten about the whereabouts of the ring. To say he was distracted was an understatement. They sat there for an immeasurable amount of time, talking about everything. She never failed to amuse or excite him, for she always had something to tell him. It wasn't until he began to tickle Hermione did he remember, and it was too late.

* * *

She had rolled over on her side to prevent him tickling her stomach, feeling a hard lump below her. "Must be a stone, she thought, as she reached to push it from under her. Instead of feeling a stone beneath the blanket though, she felt something soft and velvety under her hand. Listing it up to inspect it, she gasped at what she saw.

A box. A very distinctly sized and shaped, engagement ring box. "Fred?" She whispered as she stared at the black object, her hand shaking as she held it out to him.

* * *

"It's now or never, I guess." He whispered to himself as he lifted the box from her hand and took her left hand in his own. With his free hand, he popped open the box, lifting it to her line of sight. "Hermione Jean Granger, I never thought that I would be even considered worthy enough to be matched with someone like you. In the day that you've legally been my fiancée, I have wanted nothing more than to make it official. I promise that I will give my everything to make sure that I can be the best husband you deserve, to try and be as amazing, as funny, as witty, as perfect as you are. Will you marry me?" He asked, inhaling deeply.

She couldn't technically say no. But accepting his ring would be the most promising token she could give him.

Tears filled her eyes as she gently reached her hand out and cupped Fred's cheek. "Oh Freddie. You already are perfect."

And with that she closed the gap between them, delicatly pressing her lips to his. In his shock, he dropped the ring box, his hands resting instead on her waist. Her sweet aroma filled his nostrils, the taste of her lips as sweet as he imagined. They were firm, and moulded to his perfectly. Parting his lips slightly, he gently captured her lower lip in his own, softly running his tongue along the soft surface as she wrapped her arms around his neck, getting as close as she could to him.

He did not know how long they stayed like that, he only knew that it caused his entire body to tingle and feel as though it were on fire. She invaded his senses, and for the length of time they embraced, he could think, smell, taste, touch, and see nothing but her. He pulled away slowly, his eyes still closed as he smiled to himself and she rested her head in his chest.

Lifting the ring box again, he took her left hand and removed the ring from its silky purple cushion. Gently placing the ring on her ring finger, he kissed each finger on her hand before placing one last delicate kiss on her lips.

"Shall we crack open the wine then?" George called as he, Angelina, Harry and Ginny emerged from the surrounding forest, smiles on all their faces, and tears streaming down the cheeks of the women.

"Oi you! What happened to my dress?!" Ginny shouted, causing both Fred and his newly official fiancée to blush furiously.

**Ahahaha :D **

**Review! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Anyone fancy being a beta?**

**Later than planned, went down to Dublin for a few days sorrrrry :)**

**Enjoy!:)**

Chapter Eight

Fred woke with a start, a sudden tug pulling his resting mind into reality. He lay on something soft, presumably his sofa given he could not hear any sounds to indicate he was outside. A gentle haze of perfume and the outdoors clouded his senses, a warm body nestled into his right hand side making him want to cuddle up to the person and fall asleep again. The gentle lull of said person's breathing was relaxing, urging him to fall back to sleep.

Feeling an ache in his neck, a result of his awkward position, he sat up to readjust himself, only to feel a sharp, shooting pain tear its way over his entire forehead, and leaving a fiery path down to the nape of his neck. His stomach twisted sickeningly as he jolted in pain, the contents of his stomach threatening to re-emerge. He attempted to open his eyes so he could find his bearings, only to be met with a blinding light, sending another jolt of pain through his head and sending his mind into a spin.

He was hungover.

Grabbing onto the small person, who judging by the groaning sounds emitting from them was currently waking up to a hangover also, he steadied himself as the room around him spun. Painting the walls of their apartment shocking orange was not the best of ideas, Fred thought to himself, as he had done many a time when he was hungover.

"Arghh! Why would anyone in their right minds paint their walls that colour!" Came the painful groan of Hermione, who like Fred had opened her eyes only to be blinded by pain. Opening his eyes again slightly to look down at his hungover fiancee, he barked out a laugh at the grumpy set of her features, before the inevitable happened and another wave of pain sent his head spinning again.

"What happened last night?" He whispered, his tongue feeling like sandpaper and his head rhythmically throbbing as he tried to settle his stomach.

"Well dear twin and future twinster in-law, allow me to fill in the gaps!" Came George's booming voice, causing Fred's ears to ring and his head to hurt even more, if that were possible. "After a pleasant evening spent in the clearing, sipping wine and butterbeer, we retired back to our delightfully orange apartment," He said as he rather roughly opened the fridge door, causing the contents inside to shake and echo around the room and slammed it again, causing Fred to flinch. "..Where we proceeded to open the surprisingly large collection of fire-whiskey we have accumulated of late. After a few rounds of Knuts.." Another bang, this time two glasses being slammed on the counter and the cupboards slammed shut, this time causing Hermione to moan. "..Ginny decided to play Truth or Dare, a Muggle game Hermy told her about," He elaborated, and if Fred was fit to open his eyes he knew a smug smile would be stretched across his twins mouth. "Here, drink up and you'll be as fresh as two daisies in no time!" He half yelled as he handed his twin two cool glasses, whistling to himself as he walked away. The glasses were filled with Hangover Potion if Fred's sense of smell was to be trusted.

He knocked his back, like the numerous shots he had consumed the night before, and a few seconds later found he was able to open his eyes."I bloody knew she would want to play that game.." The witch beside him muttered, trying to sit up to take her potion from him and swiftly lying back down again. He caught sight of her green-tinged face, her brow furrowed heavily as she suffered through the splitting pain in her head. He felt a pang of regret, almost like her had let her down. Like he had let himself down. It was his job as her fiancée to protect her, keep her out of harm's way. Some job he'd done of that.

* * *

Oh my bloody head! Hermione's inner voice moaned weakly, the pain of her movement sending shooting stars across her head.

"Here love, let me help you," He said softly as he placed a hand behind her head and tipped it upwards, pouring the cool purple liquid into her mouth. Almost immediatley, her brow relaxed as the pain began to ease,"Better?" He asked her, tucking a stray curl behind her ear as she opened her eyes before settling into a comfortable position, tucked into Fred's side.

"Quite," She replied, as he grabbed her hand and rubbed his thumb across her palm, the gentle movement sending tingles up her arm. His touch felt like electricity, the warmth of his skin on hers surging through her and causing a warm feeling to flow throughout her body "What in Merlin's name is Knuts? And 'twinster in-law'?" She asked, confusion clouding her mind as she replayed George's incredibly loud speech not moments prior.

"I'm his twin, and you're to be my wife. His twin sister in-law, ergo twinster in-law. And Knuts my dear, is a game of skill. Which you do not possess if my sudden memory recall is to be believed," He told her, placing a gentle kiss on her nose which lead to an equivocally gentle kiss on her lips. His warm breath tickled her mouth and chin, his sweet taste tempting her into the embrace.

He was a fantastic kisser. She had only ever kissed three people in her life. Viktor, Ron and now Fred. Fred outweighed the other two by miles. If he was the only person she was to kiss for the rest of her life, she'd be perfectly content. Huh, she thought, he will be the only person I kiss. Ironic.

"What are you laughing at Granger? Am I that bad of a kisser?" He asked her, tracing the outline of her jaw as he threw her a lop-sided grin. A grin that lifted one corner of his mouth and brought a fierce twinkle to his eye, mesmerising her.

"No actually, Weasley, quite the opposite." She breathed, suddenly incensed to kiss him again. Gently cupping both of his cheeks in her hands, she pulled his face back towards her, their lips meeting in the middle.

* * *

They remained in such a compromise for a time, simply enjoying the moment and the feel of each other's lips. Her hands had relocated, one finding itself firmly entwined in his fiery red hair, the other resting gently on the crook of his neck, her finger-tips delicatly tracing patterns over his neck. The sensation made him want to moan at her touch, the tingly that was left behind driving him mad.

His hands had moved too, one tenderly placed on her cheek and the other resting on her hipbone, her skin exposed as her top rode up her stomach. There, he gently squeezed, feeling the heat of her skin sear into his hand, his only desire being to feel her skin on his. Allowing his hand to roam, he tested the waters, slowly trailing his hand up her side and resting it on her waist, rubbing his thumb in a smooth to and fro motion and eliciting a small moan from her lips. The sounded caused a small vibration to rumble across his own lips, a small smile rising at the feel.

Urged on by her response, he moved his other hand and made it replicate the movements of it's match, her top precariously riding up her stomach causing more and more skin to become exposed the deeper and longer their kisses went on for.

He felt her hand leave his neck, dancing it's way over his chest and his stomach before resting on the hem of his t-shirt. At some point last night her had taken off his shirt, sleeping in the grey under-shirt he had been wearing. Timidly, her hand reached under the soft fabric, momentarily resting on his stomach before she clutched at the bottom on his top, her movements suggesting she wanted it off. He wasn't ready for this, and he doubted she was either.

"We have all the time in the world, love," he whispered against her lips, softly kissing her once more and he moved to take his wand from the coffee table beside them. He summoned the blanket from his bed and tucked it around her, circling his arms around her small figure and inhaling her scent. He felt and heard her sigh, and turned his head to see if she was okay.

"Fred?" She asked, biting her lip and looking nervous. He knew what was coming next and almost smiled at the innocence of it all.

"Yes love?" He replied, pressing his face into the crook of her neck and placing soft kisses on her skin.

"Are you.. um have you ever.. Merlin that's so distracting! Have you ever..you know..?" She asked, her cheeks turning an impressive shade of red as she cringed.

"Nope." He said, popping his lips on the 'p'.

"Never? Not even close?" She asked, sounding quite shocked.

That sent an uneasy feeling through him. Did his fiancée genuinely believe he was like that? That he had spent his Hogwarts days and nights getting into some sort of rule-breaking activity? "I honestly haven't. I didn't date any girl at school long enough to get that serious, and the last few years have been spent getting the shop up and running. I've never had the time to settle down. Sure I've thought about it, but there's no-one I've ever cared enough for to share that with. I wasn't raised to be that way." He told her, looking into her chocolatey brown eyes. "I know at some point, I will care enough for someone; you. and it won't be due to a requirement of this law that I share it with you, Hermione."

"I couldn't agree more, Mr Weasley." She whispered softly, ducking her head as she settled down to go to sleep. "I haven't either, by the way," She elaborated, and a few seconds later a soft snore escaped from her mouth.

* * *

"Mr Cloverfield?" Came the voice of Hannah Abbot, as she knocked briskly on his office door. "The results of your comparisons are ready, if you wish to read them?" She asked. Her heart was heavy as she mulled over the information she held. Hermione was ninety eight percent compatible to Fred, one of the highest results they had analysed. However Grant was only twenty three percent compatible, a result so low that the marriage would fail within six months. She couldn't allow this petition to happen, she didn't want to see her classmate broken. But what choice did she have? Grant was going to sanction it, low compatibility or not.

"Excellent, Miss Abbot. Thank-you for delivering them to me." The man replied, approaching the girl and placing a hand on her arm, his thumb precariously close to her breast. She flinched as she realised his proximity, growing increasingly uncomfortable as he maintained contact. "I trust you are pleased with your match?" He asked, smirking at her as he noticed her squirm.

"Yes, thank you. Dean and I are most pleased to be together. Now if you will excuse me, I am needed elsewhere. Enjoy you're evening Mr Cloverfield," She managed to mutter, jerking her arm out of his grip, hurrying down the hall as she dreamed of taking a hot shower to remove the traces of his slimy touch.

Opening the envelope containing his results, Grant smirked once more, not caring about the information but more the power he held in this position. No-one would be able to prevent him from getting his way, Hermione Granger will be his wife.

Laughing softly to himself at the thought of his plan as he sat down in his chair, he took a small bottle from the drawer in his desk, knocked it back in one deft movement and sighed in malicious content.

**Sorry it's a bit short, Review! :)**

**Ps Knuts, I have based kind of on beer-pong, except instead of bouncing ping-pong balls they flicked coins. I think there's an American game called Dimes or Quarters based on the same theory. :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**I failed my driving test last week. And school starts tomorrow. :-(**

**Chapter Nine**

"So that's George and Angelina on the 4th of June, then Ron's on the 18th, followed by Harry and Ginny then on the 8th of July and lastly Fred and Hermione on the 23rd. Well, that is as it stands until I meet with Charlie and Michelle tomorrow evening. Now, have we any preference for colour schemes? Ginny dear?"

Fred sighed heavily as he tried to stay awake. The four couples had been sat around the kitchen table in the Burrow for the best part of two hours discussing the wedding date alone. Angelina had wanted to be married and honeymooned before she went to Hungary at the end of July for a training stint with Puddlemere United, who she had recently joined after transferring from Caerphilly Catapults . So in effect they had the first wedding.

Though of course, Lavender had argued that she and Ron had been engaged for months, and their date was in place long before such a law came out. Thus started a bloody great row between his mother and the witch which lasted the majority of the two hours. Lavender finally relented when Angelina, who was at the brink of hexing the girl, suggested that enough time was left between the weddings to allow her guests to get suitably excited about her nuptials.

Harry and Ginny couldn't care less about a date, so long as they got married. The poor boy couldn't look any more love sick if he tried.

The old, single Fred would be disgusted with himself if he ever looked at a girl like Harry was doing currently. The new, engaged Fred though, was pretty sure he did look at Hermione like that, and part of him was terrified. They had only been engaged for a week and already he knew himself he was smitten. Every second thought that popped into to his head was about her, and more often than not he caught himself thinking about her when he should have been working.

Her scent had been embedded in his sofa from the other night, and it lingered in his jacket she had been wearing. Every curly haired brunette he saw made him think of her, and when he head a similar peal of laughter his knees would go weak. Of course, no-one had the exact same shade of hair, the exact same wild curls she had, the same light, tinkling laugh that left her lips. And when he closed his eyes for just a fraction of a second longer than a normal blink, he could feel her soft lips on him, taste her sweetness on his tongue. To say she had invaded his mind and senses was an understatement.

"Fred? Hermione? Dears are you listening?" His mother's voice interrupted his thoughts, bringing him back to the present and finding everyone's eyes on his now red face. He caught sight of George sitting across from him, winking slyly as he nodded to Hermione, who was also the shade of a beetroot as she smiled gently.

She had obviously been distracted too. He smirked to himself, why wouldn't she be distracted? She was sitting next to and holding hands with Fred Weasley, the most handsome member of the family. He nudged her shoulder teasingly, sticking his tongue out when she looked up at him.

"So have you any colour preferences dear? Ginny's decided on green, Angelina wants blue and Lavender wants.. Lavender." Mrs Wealsey said, visibly restraining herself from rolling her eyes.

Stifling a laugh, Fred squeezed Hermione's hand. "Whatever my gorgeous fiancée wants dear mother, is fine by me." He said sweetly, earning a vivid blush to swoop up her soft cheeks. It took all his willpower to stop himself from gently brushing his thumb across her skin, or kissing her there and then in front of everyone.

"Well..umm.." She started to say as she continued to look at him before turning her gaze to the family matriarch, "I was thinking gold, or purple maybe. Not lavender," She justified quickly when she saw Lavender open her mouth in indignation, "But maybe a more deeper, richer shade. Only I know it's Fred's favourite colour.." She tailed off, blushing yet again as she admitted this last part.

Fred's grin couldn't get any broader. She really was perfect.

Seeing her son's wide smile, and the look of adoration he gave his blushing bride, Mrs Weasley sighed softly, her heart fluttering. "Purple it is then, maybe with some gold accents somewhere? Good, that's all settled then. Now who would like some tea?" She asked, smiling at all her own and soon to be children.

* * *

"Hey Gin. Can I talk to you for a minute?" Hermione asked her best girl friend as she walked into their shared bedroom. She and Fred decided that they needed to tell Ginny and George about Grant's petition, for if it came down to blows they would need all they help they could get to repeal it.

"Sure 'Mione, what's on your mind? Apart from my brother," She said slyly, smirking. Her smirk was identical to Fred's, the left corner of her mouth lifting slightly as she teased the brunette.

"That's exactly what's on my mind, actually. You know my boss, Grant." She said, a nod given in reply. Ginny had heard all about the creepy man." Well he's the head of the Marital Law team, and he's the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, as you know. So he's pretty powerful, and has enough superiority to have everyone drop at his feet. And he has a grudge with Fred apparently." Hermione started, unsure of how to break it to Ginny. "Well, you see.."

"Out with it Hermione," Ginny warned. She wasn't one for beating around the proverbial bush.

"Grant's petitioning for me."

The red-head's jaw dropped, her cheeks turning a deep red in her anger at the news.

* * *

"Forge, you in here? Need to talk." Fred said as he walked into their old bedroom, which was currently their over-flow storage room.

"What's up Gred? Thinking of ways to bed Granger?" He asked, winking as Fred's face grew red.

"Don't know if I'll get the chance. Her boss, Grant Cloverfield. if you remember him as fondly as I do, is petitioning for her." Fred simply said.

"Merlin's left and right ball." Sighed George. Just when things were going well.

* * *

"Miss Granger? There's someone here to see you, he said that he's your next meeting but I can't see any scheduled meeting in your diary at all for today. He said you're expecting him?" Timmy spoke as he popped his head around the door, an unsure expression on his face. Hermione didn't usually take unscheduled meetings, but the red head outside her office was rather insistent.

"Did he say who he was?" The brunette replied somewhat muffled, her head and shoulders buried in the magically expanded filing cabinet in the corner of her room, looking for the small green notebook she might had dropped in there the previous week.

"I believe it's a Mr Weasley, of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?" Timmy replied, smiling gently as he remembered his first visit to the shop three years ago, the visit that resulted in his dark brown hair turning a shade of electric blue and his mother almost dying from shock when he came home.

"Fred! Merlin's left.. Timmy stall him for a few minutes until I tidy myself up will you, please?" The witch asked as she dove for her handbag and extracted the make-up bag Ginny insisted she carried with her. After she checked her reflection in the small mirror and re-applied the pale lipstick she had actually grown quite fond of, she straightened her dress robes and approached the door, inhaling deeply to calm herself.

"Fred, hi!" She greeted as she stuck her head around her door and caught sight of her fiancée sitting on Timmy's desk, chatting with the younger man. She hoped her voice didn't betray her as the butterflies fluttered inside her stomach, her heart racing as she took in the sight of the red-head.

"Good to meet you Timmy, swing by the shop sometime and we can talk some more about that idea, I like the sound of it. But alas, my gorgeous fiancée had beckoned me and as I'm sure you know young Timothy she can be quite feisty if she does not get her way." Fred smirked at the witch in the doorway, winking as she glared at him playfully. He allowed her to lead him into the sizeable office that bore her name on the door before he pulled her close to him and gently kissed her, their lips melting into one another's. "Busy morning, love?" Fred asked when they came up for air, his eyes sweeping around the room and taking in the incredibly un-Hermione like clutter that filled it.

"Not really. I just can't seem to find a notebook that I had last week, it has all my S.P.E.W information in it. I'm supposed to bring it to Kingsley tomorrow morning but I obviously cannot if I don't have it." She said, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she tried to remember where she had it last.

"I hate to ask, but did you try Summoning it?" Fred asked, biting back the laugh that bubbled in his throat as he caught Hermione's expression, a look that questioned his sanity.

"Of course I tried Summoning it you git," She replied, swatting at his arm as she rolled her eyes when he could not hold his laughter back any longer. "I can't understand why I can't find it, it's green and has pink and orange sheets of paper sticking out of it, it's practically an eyesore.." She muttered to herself as she fetched her wand from her desk and quickly tidied her office before turning once more to her now sombre fiancée. "Any particular reason why you are here and not at the shop?" She asked, smiling as he took hold of her hand.

"We, my dearest are going out for a spot of lunch. If that is alright with you, of course. What's that you said Timmy? No meeting's for the rest of the day? Very well then, off we go!" The red head exclaimed, giving her just enough time to grab her handbag before he clasped her hand firmly and lead her out of the office towards the fireplace next to Timmy's desk.

* * *

"Miss Abbott?" Grant's deep voice called through the office and into the small room that held the red-head that had recently been promoted to his personal assistant. She had been quite and efficient the last time he had requested her help, bringing her the required test results with no questions asked. She would be quite helpful, he thought.

"Yes, sir?" She asked, hiding the weariness in her voice. Although she was receiving better pay in her new position, Hannah was run off her feet doing errands for her new boss.

"I was hoping you could visit Mr Mulpepper's Apothecary for me and find out if they have any leeches? I would go myself but as you can see I am quite busy today.." He drawled, leering at the girl before him.

Busy doing nothing, she thought to herself, fixing a false smile on her face. "Of course sir. Would you like me to go now or wait until my lunch break?" She asked, hoping she could go now and get away from the horrible man before her.

"Now please. I need them as soon as possible. My lizard you see, he's quite picky when it comes to eating, and all he eats is leeches. We wouldn't want him starving now, would we?" He asked, his voice dangerously seductive as he eyed the girl.

"Of course sir, shan't be long." She nodded her farewell as she left the room, deciding at the last minute to back out of the room rather than turn around and give the man a new view.

Reaching into the small bowl that sat in his drawer, the man lifted a cherry and popped it into his mouth, spitting out the stone. He caught sight of the calendar sitting on his desk, calculating in his head when the next full moon was to occur. The day after tomorrow, he deduced. Perfect.

"Oh hello Hermione," came the soft voice of his assistant from the hallway, leaving to run her errand, "And Fred! I haven't seen you in a while, how are you?"

Walking over to the door, Grant leant against the wall, hiding from visible sight. "Fine, thank you Hannah. Just taking 'Mione for a spot of lunch, would you like to walk with us?" The red head asked kindly.

Catching sight of the three figures as they walked past his office, he saw that Hermione and Fred were holding hands, seeming happily acquainted with one another.

Not for long though.

**Tehe I couldn't resist calling Hermione's assistant Timmy, I love rules of Engagement too much x)  
Review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hmm. I'm sorry I've not updated, I've just had hell these last three weeks. But the formal was AMAZING!**

**Enjoy! :)**

**Chapter Ten**

Five hours of sitting in changing rooms whilst Ginny tried on the entire stock of wedding dresses was not Hermione's idea of 'fun'. Nor Mrs Weasley's by the sounds of it.

"Ginevra Molly Wealsey, this is the seventeenth dress you have tried on today, for the love of Merlin please pick one so I can get to the other girls!" Came Mrs Weasley's shrill voice from the far side of the changing room. Her frustration at her daughter's fussiness had finally tipped and she had been verging on the edge of a rant for quite some time.

"Bloody hell Mum! I've already made up my mind, I want this one," The witch said decisively as she emerged from the small changing cubicle, presenting her chosen dress to her fellow bridesmaids and mother, causing the quiet chatter amongst the women to stop.

No other word came to Hermione's mind other than stunning. The dress was so perfect for Ginny it was almost as if it had been made specifically for her. Ivory, rather than the traditional white dresses that Ginny had been trying on, it complemented her pale skin beautifully, as well as softening the fiery redness of her hair, yet in contradiction, allowing it to subtly stand out at the same time.

Sleeveless floral lace covered a strapless under dress, the scoop neck-line low enough to skim her collarbones yet covering her modesty. When she twirled slowly on the spot, the back of the dress was the complete opposite, a long V-shaped drop that ended at her lower back, with a slightly darker cream coloured sash tied around the waist. The dress was fitted gently to her hips and ran down until mid thigh, where it gently flared out to give a tear drop train.

"Oh Ginny.." Molly said softly, her voice catching in her through as her tears finally broke free. "Oh Ginny.." She said again, seemingly stuck for words as she ruffled in her pockets for a tissue before Fleur handed one to her. "Oh my dear Ginny, you look beautiful.. so so beautiful.." She managed to choke out before fully succumbing to a flood of tears, which resulted in her almost collapsing into her daughter in-law's arms as Fleur went to comfort her mother in-law.

"She eez right, Ginny. You look pozzitively mezmerising! 'Arry will not take 'is eyes off you!" Fleur admired genuinely, a beaming smile on her lips. She and Ginny had grown an awful lot closer in the past year, having bonded over Teddy Lupin. Until then, no one had realised the extent of Fleur's maternal side, and she had helped Ginny a lot with the baby. Ginny beamed back at French girl, wiping her eye as a tear spilled over.

"We could charm the ribbon so it matched Harry's eyes, if you wanted?" Luna said softly, searching for her wand in her handbag, when it was in fact sticking out from the bun she had tied at the top of her head, earning a fond smile from everyone in the room. "Oh, here it is," She exclaimed when she finally found it, muttering to herself about how forgetful she had become. "Now, let's see.." She said, closing her eyes in concentration, "Umbra permuto!" She charmed, causing the soft cream colour to change into the same shade of green that Harry's eyes held. "There! What do you think?" She asked, a dreamy look filling her eyes.

"Merlin, Luna it's perfect, now this is exactly the dress I want!" Ginny exclaimed as she caught sight of herself in the floor-length mirror. "Now we just need to find you lot the perfect dresses!" She turned around again to face everyone, an excited yet somewhat manic smile gracing her lips.

Another three hours later, and they had finally narrowed it down to three. "Hmm, I want this one but you see it isn't the exact same shade.." Hermione rolled her eyes, smiling fondly at her best friend, wishing she was at home with Fred. Her mind drifted back to the lunch date they had had the day before, his scent and laugh enveloping her senses, wishing Ginny would hurry up and make her decision.

* * *

"There we are Marcus my dear mate, that's eight Galleons, Twelve sickles and twenty four Knuts altogether please." Fred said cheerfully as he parcelled up the boy's purchases, watching him count out his money. It always made him cheerful when Marcus visited; the cheeky Irish lad saved his money for a couple of months at a time and when he came into the shop he almost cleared their available stock of several products. It wasn't the money that Fred was elated to see, it was the sheer joy and enthusiasm and awe that radiated from the boy's face every time he looked around him that spurred the twins on.

"Ah here we go Fred," He said, pushing the small pile towards the older red-head, "Really liking the improvements on the Bat-wing Bites by the way, they taste so much better than last time!" He added, pointing to the small dish beside him as the remnants of the bat-wings he sprouted ten minutes ago disappeared. "Did you add more liquorice, or did I detect a trace of Muggle cough syrup?" He asked keenly, almost bouncing in his eagerness.

"A touch of both, I believe. George tweaked the final touches last week actually, I hope you put them to good use!" Fred said as reached below the counter and brought a purple and black box with a red-headed bat motif on it up, placing on top of the already teaming stack of goods in the boy's arms. "Until next time, my dear customer!" He bid the boy farewell, bowing deeply.

"Cheers Fred! I'll see you before school, get stocked up before going back to Hogwarts.." His voice was drowned out by George, who had come sprinting up from the store room below the shop floor and was shouting for Fred.

"Freddie! Fred! Come here, quickly!" He exclaimed, panting as he turned on his heels and raced back down the stairs, his twin following.

They had magically expanded their storeroom below the shop so that it stretched for quite some distance, allowing them to stock up for months ahead. Fred ran after his twin who was sprinting towards the back of the room, catching snippets of his shouted conversation. Something about the toilet.

"George..What.. In Merl.. Merlin's name.. is wrong?" He panted when he finally caught up. Or rather, when his twin finally stopped running. They had reached the very end of the storeroom, and were both leaning against the brick wall trying to catch a breath.

A sloshing sound could be heard coming from the toilet that was a few meters down from them, a puddle quickly building around the door. "George?" Fred asked again once he regained his breath.

"There's a Niffler in there. Two maybe. Must have dug their way up. I told you having a bloody gold toilet would cause problems." He replied, staring cautiously at the toilet door.

"Bloody hell." Fred paled, taking a step back. "I'll get Hermione."

* * *

"Right everyone, the rota is now sorted for this month. We have another new appointment to attend to, not that we needed it, but I've managed to fit it in so that a different person attends every week. Right, so if Melanie, you are supposed to be in Muggle London this morning with the rest of the team, but unfortunately the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad have had to be called out and so I've had to switch you and Phineas, since he's training with them also, so I'm afraid you have to go to Azkaban this morning. Don't worry though, you will be partnered with Peter, I'm sure he will make sure no prisoners attempt to jump out at you this time. Rest assured you haven't been timetabled to go there again until next month at least.." Hermione explained apologetically, taking a breath for the first time since she began her speech.

"So then Angus, you'll be with.."

"Miss Granger? Miss Granger, you have been requested immediatley to aid with a removal!" Timmy half shouted as he burst into the staff correspondence room, "Quickly Miss Granger!" He spoke again as she looked at him in shock.

Timmy was never like this. He was calm and controlled at all times, which was partly why Hermione had decided to hire him in the first place. "Hermione! Fred sounded extremely panicked on the Floo!" He shouted again, hoping the mention of her fiancee would spur her on.

And so it did, for she was out the door and through the Floo in a matter of seconds, only stopping to ask Timmy where Fred was.

"Oi Hermione! Thank Merlin you're here!" The twins shouted in unison as they saw her emerge from the floo, as they hid behind an over turned table, as though protecting themselves from an attack.

"What's the matter? Who's in there?" She asked quickly, hearing the chaos from behind the door to her right. "Do I need to call Harry and Ron?" She asked before they could answer her first question, extracting her wand from her robe pocket.

"Nifflers. Two of them. Possibly." George muttered as he gripped the table, blood racing from his face as he heard them scratch around the door.

Soon though, the scratching was blocked out and the blood raced to the twins ears as they heard Hermione dissolve into a fit of giggles, clutching at her sides as she tried to stop.

"Oi! It's not funny!" Fred shouted as he caught side of the tears of mirth trailing down her face. "They're blood menaces!"

"They're Nifflers!" She finally managed to chocked out once she managed to control her giggles, "You are actually scared of Nifflers? Merlin I'd never thought I'd see the day, two war heroes cowering away from Nifflers!" She exclaimed in delight as she walked over to the bathroom, conjuring a large cage on her way and a roll of Muggle tin-foil. She knelt on the floor, still laughing to herself as she tore up strips of the shiny foil, layering them inside the cage before placing it beside the door. "Brace yourselves boys, they might attack you!" She teased mirthfully, trying extremely hard not to laugh.

She opened the door and caught sight of the small, black creatures. They turned their heads to see the new source of distraction and almost immediatley they raced for the cage, causing the twins to duck down behind their make-shift shield. Attracted by the shiny material within the cage, they managed to fall for Hermione's trap and a few seconds later they were enclosed and sent off, carried by two owls to Hagrid who would take care of them.

Dusting off her hands, Hermione turned around and faced the men behind her. As if she could call them men, catching sight of them clinging to each other with their eyes squeezed shut. "Alright boys, I caught them and sent them to Hagrid, they should be looked aft.. Why do you have a gold toilet?! Are you really that pretentious that you can only do your business on a golden loo?!" She exclaimed in amazement.

"We thought we would treat ourselves." George huffed, somewhat put out with Hermione for laughing at them. They didn't laugh at her fear of heights. Though her fear could actually be classed as rational.

"So, Nifflers then? That's what has the infallible Weasley twins shivering behind a table?" She asked as she sat down beside them, taking Fred's hand in her own, the latter somewhat reluctant as he too was huffing.

"We'll have you know Granger, that we were in a life or death situation with a pair of Nifflers when we were younger and not as wise as we are now." George snapped, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Really?" She asked, sounding genuinely interested as she squeezed Fred's hand, showing her sincerity.

"Yes, as a matter of fact we were, isn't that right Fred?" He asked, nudging his brother in the ribs, daring him to disagree.

"Oh yes, George. I'll never forget it. I'm even scared for life, and all you can do is laugh Granger." Fred said, pouting at the woman beside him.

"There we were, just two innocent eight year olds," George started, earning a derisive snort from Hermione upon her hearing the word 'innocent', in turn earning her a glare. "As I said, two eight year olds having had discovered Auntie Muriel's gold collection. So I dared Freddie here to put on a ton of necklaces and bracelets and pretend to be Auntie Muriel, and he dared me back, only I had to pretend to be Celestina Warbeck. So then, right in the middle of Beat Back Those Bludgers, as we donned our finery, up popped two Nifflers and we were attacked. Freddie got a nasty scratch on the neck, bled for hours it did."

"Mum went mental, started shouting about how stupid we were, and how dare we impersonate Celestina Warbeck, of all people!" Fred mock gasped, causing Hermione to giggle as she scanned his neck for this scar. "George though, he had it way worse. Auntie Muriel had a gold belt, though the old bat's backside is so big it kept slipping down and covering George's arse. So then when the Niffler caught sight of it, the belt that is, it bite Georgie on the arse, left him with a scar too.." He said, a solemn look covering his face.

"Yeah, wanna see Granger?" George asked teasingly, standing up and pretending to undo his jeans button.

"NO!" Fred and Hermione yelled at the same time, Fred's hand lifting to cover her eyes. "Don't ruin my fiancee George! Not until we're actually married! Just because Angelina is happy to look at your arse doesn't mean Hermione is! Or me for that matter.." He trailed off as the laughter bubbled up his throat.

As Fred and George playfully teased each other, Hermione looked at her watch. She had ought to get back to work, before Grant realised she was missing. But she caught sight of her fiancee looking at her with those adoring eyes, his aftershave luring her close to him.

She guessed it was time for her lunch-break.

**Hope you like, please review! :)**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys.  
Sorry I've not updated often. Between three failed driving tests, an absolutely awful time at school, illness, relationship/family issues and a huge fall out with a friend I really have had no motivation, not that it's excusable. But I did tried especially for you tonight. If you're still reading this story, thank you. It means so much.**

**Please enjoy.**

**Chapter Eleven**

Catching sight of the clock upon his wall, Grant sighed heavily to himself. Twenty eight minutes to two. "Where is she!" He snarled to himself, slamming his fist on his desk.

Time was running out, and if his plan was to work he needed her to be back from lunch and in his office within the next twenty minutes. If she wasn't, the repercussions were not worth thinking about.

A scratching sounded from behind the bookcase across the room, disguising the place where he had a hidden room, matched with a low moan. "Silencio!" Grant muttered, whipping his wand towards the sound with such force the emergent spell caused several books to fall from their holding place. Growling, this time he calmed himself before wordlessly levitating the books back into place, before standing up and pacing between his door and desk. He repeatedly looked at the clock, the fret within him building and the anger even more so.

Finally, at seventeen minutes to two, he heard her jovial voice greet the other staff members as she re-entered the office. "Hello Minister! I'm great thank you..of course, I shall pass on the message to Molly when I go home this evening, I'm sure she will be very amicable.." He heard her say as she approached, agreeing to whatever Shacklebolt had proposed. There wasn't enough time for this, he needed her in his room now. _Time to act_.

"Ah, Miss Granger?" He said as he stuck his head out of his door, "I thought I heard your delicate tones. A minute please?" He requested, standing back to invite her into the room. "Minister, you're looking as dashing as always!" He complimented the older man, receiving a nod in return. "Will you be free later, I need to discuss a few matters with you?"

"Certainly. Come by my office once you are finished with Miss Granger." Kingsley replied, appraising the man. "Take care, Hermione." He added, a warning look on his face as the brunette returned the sentiment.

_He's suspicious_, Grant thought to himself, _I'll have to take care of that._

"Now, Miss Granger." He purred, leading his junior to the set opposite his desk. "May I offer you a drink? Butterbeer, tea, a drop of Firewhiskey?" He asked, pouring a glass of the latter for himself.

"No, no thank you sir. I'm just back from lunch." The woman replied, her voice cautious. He sensed her discomfort. Perfect.

"I assume you read the information I left you a few days ago, and you have had time to consider my proposition?" He asked, ignoring her decline of a drink and inside shot back his glass of Firewhiskey, the liquid burning his throat. He looked down at his left hand, the familiar tingling returning.

Damn it. He had less time than he thought.

Keeping his back to her, he rifled around his collection for the particular bottle. A few seconds later, he found it, and poured himself another drink. The Firewhiskey would help with the taste of the tonic he was about to drink, and he knocked it back similarly to the previous liquid. Grimacing at the after taste, he smirked as he felt the tingling leave his hand.

"And I am assuming that your silence means that you have nothing to say on the point?" He asked the silent girl as he finally turned to face her. Her face was blank, and that angered him. The lack of response angered him too. He was her boss for Merlin's sake, and soon, in more ways than just through employment.

After a few more minutes of silence, she stood. "I did read the information, and I have considered it, to an extent. However, my fiancee wishes to consider such a drastic measure too, as I'm sure you will understand. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a meeting to attend to in fifteen minutes that I should prepare for.."

"Miss Granger." He snarled as she made to leave, rushing over to her and grabbing her arm. "If I were you, I would think exceptionally hard about this situation. I _am_ the head of this department. I _am_ the head of the Marital Law team. I _am_ your boss, and I _will_ have your hand in marriage. Or else you will find that.."

His threat was cut off by another scuffling sound from behind the bookcase.

Wordlessly silencing the noise, he turned back to Hermione and leant into her ear. "..Or else, you will find, that the Weasley family will pay for your actions." He whispered, his hand roughly grabbing her hip as his lips grazed her cheek, his stubble cutting into her; his hand moving lower and lower as she squirmed away from him, a smirk gracing his lips.

* * *

"Well George, to you my brother, and to your final hour as a free man!" Fred exclaimed as he passed his twin, Bill and Charlie a glass each, before summoning the bottle of Firewhiskey from under his bed and pouring a generous measure into each glass. "'Ear 'ear!" He cheered before downing his drink, his brothers following suit as they smiled at his choice of words.

"Ahh boys, you're all here. Excellent," Arthur said as he walked into his twin sons' former bedroom. "Is that Firewhiskey?" He asked as he caught sight of Fred attempting to subtly refill everyone's now empty glasses, "Don't let your mother see you," He scolded half-heartedly as he accepted the glass Bill passed him and Charlie filled for him, knocking it back after a whispered "'ear 'ear".

"Now, George. You all set?" He asked in between coughs. "Good? Good. Now I wanted you to have these, as you know Bill wore them on his wedding day, as did I, and I hope your other brothers will as well at their wedding." He said as he passed his son a small red box, opening it to reveal a set of golden cuff-links in the shape of weasels.

"Cheers Dad!" George exclaimed, quickly hugging his father in a fit of over-excitement and affection before putting on the cuff-links. The eldest Weasley man's ears glowed a gentle shade of pink at his son's affection and he excused himself from the room, muttering something about finding Ginny and asking her to fix his tie.

* * *

_Don't cry. Don't cry. The wedding is this evening, do not cry Hermione. You can when you go to bed. But not now. _

Hermione repeatedly reprimanded herself as tears threatened to fall down her cheeks. How dare Grant threatened her like that! Now every time she saw a red-head, her family, she felt a renewed wave of guilt and anxiety, and it took all her strength not to break down there and then.

Entering the room she shared with Ginny, she took several calming breaths until the tears in her eyes had cleared she was able to see again. Stripping off her work robes, she grabbed the dress Ginny had helped her pick out and hurried to the bathroom.

Turning on the shower and allowing the water to heat up, she shuddered as she thought of Grant's hand resting on her hip.. his breath on her cheek.. his lips on her cheek whilst his hand made his wave towards her inner thigh.. Suddenly, she felt sick to her stomach, and what little food she had eaten at lunch suddenly made a reappearance as she retched into the toilet.

How can she marry someone like that?

She would have to. For her family's safety. For Fred's safety.

Thankful for the noise of the shower, she flushed away the contents in the toilet, stripped off her remaining clothing and climbed under the steaming hot jet of water and washed away the grimy feeling that now ensconced her body. Once she was content with the feeling of cleanliness, she emerged from the shower and set about drying off and getting dressed.

Angelina had decided on a blue colour scheme as it was George's favourite colour, and had requested that all guests wear varying shades of blue. Whilst they were not bridesmaids, Hermione, Ginny and Lavender were included in the wedding party and therefore Angelina had insisted that they wear the same shade of powder blue as Fleur and Alicia, who were bridesmaids.

She had selected a knee length, chiffon dress that Ginny had gushed over, almost squealing when Hermione emerged from the changing room of the shop they had been in. It was one shouldered, and gracefully clung to her body, hugging her existing curves and creating new ones in places where she didn't think they existed before.

Drying her hair with her wand, she mused over what way she should style it. Hearing footsteps outside, she assumed it was Ginny responding to her silent calling, "Ginny? Is that you?" She called, opening the door to the bathroom to find Lavender standing there, posed as if she was about to knock. "Oh, hello Lavender. I'll be out in two minutes, just let me finish up here?" She asked politely, pointing to her hair and remembering her promise to Fred that she had made the night prior, to be civil to Lavender throughout the weddings.

"Of course." The other girl replied, her voice no more than a whisper.

_What? No snide remark or comment about my hair? _Hermione thought to herself, watching the girl before her a she promptly burst into tears.

"Lavender? What's wrong?" She asked softly, extending her hand to gently cup the girl's shoulder.

"It's just.. Oh it's just.." Lavender sobbed as she collapsed into Hermione's arms, her entire body shaking as sobs racked through her body. "All these weddings.. And.. and.. Hermione I don't want to get married!.. I love Won-Won.. of c-course I do.. But my mother.. she's in-insisted we get m-married because it's shameful to.. to.. not b-be married and live together.. and y-you all will have lovely, f-family weddings because M-Molly's p-planned them.. and I won't.. just a c-completely.. over the top.. ridiculous wedding that M-Mother hired s-someone to p-plan so s-she looks good in front of s-s-society! A-and we w-wanted to postpone the w-wedding but now we c-cant because of t-this law.." She explained through her sobs as Hermione stroked her arm in an attempt to console the girl.

After a few minutes of silence, Hermione led the girl over the toilet and sat her down on the closed seat, sat beside her on the edge of the bath and handed her a handful of toilet roll so she could dry her eyes. "Lavender. I know we haven't always gotten on in the past, and I don't think we were ever going to be best friends after you married Ronald. But if I can say one thing, as a sister in-law, because that's what we'll be in a few weeks after all, is that you will have a family wedding, because we'll be there. Your family." She said as the girl looked up at her, a small smile gracing her lips at the sentiment Hermione exchanged.

"Thank you Hermione. If you agree, I would like to suggest that we be friends. As you said, I don't think we'll ever be best friends, nor as close as you and Ginny are as sisters in-law, but I would like to be someone you can talk to and vice versa." She asked, looking to the floor.

"That would be lovely, I should think." Hermione replied, taking the girl's hand and squeezing it before she stood up. "I'll leave you alone now so you can get ready. Are you sure you're okay now?" She asked.

"Yes. Thank you Hermione." The other girl replied. "Oh, and I think you should leave your hair down, and cast a Smoothing Charm on it. Fred likes playing with your hair, after all." She said, smiling again as Hermione blushed.

* * *

Four hours later, and the ceremony had passed without a hitch. Angelina looked beautiful, and George couldn't have looked any more elated to be marrying her. Not to mention, Molly had put on a marvellous spread of food and it was the buffet table where Hermione found herself now, pondering over what to eat next.

"May I just say, that you look absolutely fantastic tonight," Fred's husky voice whispered in her ear as he came up behind her, his hands gently resting on her hips, his soft cheek brushing against hers as he softly kissed her; the action causing her heart to go into over load as she remembered Grant's similar from earlier in the day. But her brain kicked in, and she reminded herself that it was only Fred; his actions showed love, and only love.

Smiling, she placed her hands on his and laughed softly, "Thank you. You scrub up nicely too, I suppose," She teased in return, turning to face the red-headed man.

"Well, actually love, I was talking to my reflection," He countered back, pointing towards the kitchen window behind them, "But you look bloody gorgeous too," He complimented, placing a kiss on the tip of her nose as he led her towards the dance floor.

Once they got there, the upbeat song that had been on previously changed into a slow, romantic song. "Bloody typical!" Fred scoffed, stomping his foot like a petulant three year old, "All I wanted was to have a good, old fashioned dance with my fiancee, and they have to play a slow song just as we get here! I suppose it will have to do.." He pouted, grinning as he caught Hermione rolling her eyes. "Well, come on then!" He said softly as he pulled her closer, looping his arms around her waist as she arms moved in perfect synchrony to rest around his neck, her hands weaving her way into his hair. They moved slowly around the floor, swaying to and fro in time to the music, revelling in each other's closeness.

As the song came to an end, they saw George and Angelina make their way to the floor, seeking a moment's peace from the large party of guests. Watching them hold each other's gaze and smiling they way only newly married couples could do, Hermione felt her heart swell as she realised that in a few short weeks, that could be her.

_That's it. I will marry Fred. Grant will be damned should he think he can threaten me._ She thought determinedly, smiling up at her fiancee as he pulled back from kissing her cheek. "They're in their own little world right now, aren't they? Like nothing in the world could bother them.." She breathed as she felt her eyes lock onto Fred's.

"Is everything okay love?" He asked her gently, sensing that there was something underlying to Hermione's words.

"Right here, with you, everything is perfect." She replied, reaching up to place a kiss on his lips.

**And there we go :)**

**I hope you liked, and please review! Tell me what you think about the previous chapters, this chapter, and what you think is going to happen!**

**Much love xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**_This story is mine. _**

**_Fred is not. _**

**_Boo._**

**_Chapter Twelve_**

"Shake your booty like a boggart in pain! Again and again and again!"

Fred nearly collapsed from laughter at the sight of a very drunken Hermione shaking her backside as she sang off-key at the top of her lungs and trying not to fall over as they walked back to The Burrow in the small hours. The party was still going strong further down the garden, but Molly had decided that Hermione had had a little bit too much elf wine and Firewhiskey, and delegated Fred with the task of putting her to bed.

Except, Fred was much more experienced with alcohol. And so was much more experienced in hiding his true drunken state from his mother, but in truth, he was much in the same state as Hermione. Stumbling, singing and laughing were at the top of his list too. "Get it on like an angry spectre, who's definitely out to get ya!" He sang as he grabbed the woman in front of him around the waist and swung the two of them around in a large circle, causing the world to spin. "Right, come on you," he said to her as he hoisted her into his arms and carried her into the house and up the several flights of stairs.

Setting her back on her feet as they reached his bedroom, he wrapped his arms around her waist, as she reached behind him in an attempt to grab the blanket from bed. Suddenly, the wooden floor beneath them was suddenly coming closer and closer, and before he knew it both he and his fiancée lay on the floor, she on top of him, a cacophony of laughter erupting from them.

Hermione's raucous giggles were doing strange things to Fred, a warmth growing in his stomach as he listened to the tinkling sound as it filled his ears and as he felt her body shake against his. Rolling her over so she now lay beside him, something stirred within him, and all he wanted was to feel her; to feel her hair as he tangled his fingers in the wild curls, her soft curves as he placed his hand on her hip, pulling her closer to him as her intoxicating scent enveloped his senses and drew him deeper into his infatuation. To feel her lips on his.

And he did just that; gently encasing her rosy lips in his own, feeling their softness as they moulded perfectly to his, moving in total synchronisation together. He heard her breathing hitch slightly as he tentatively ran his tongue across her lower lip, his need to taste her growing. She complied with his suggestion, her mouth gently parting beneath his. She tasted exactly how he imagined she would; beyond his expectations.

They lay like that for a time, letting the world pass them by as they happily lay on the floor, the party ongoing without them. His hand gently caressed her hip, gently moving up and down as he felt her hands gently knead his shoulders, having found their way around his neck sometime prior. He gently nibbled her lower lip, eliciting a gentle moan from her that sent butterflies through his stomach. Spurred on, he kissed her harder, moving his hand from her waist to place in on her cheek, coaxing her even closer to him if it were possible.

He felt her return his passion as she kissed him with equal ferocity; her hands too changing position as she stroked his arms on her way down to his hips where they rested momentarily before she began unbuttoning his cream waistcoat, his powder blue tie having been discarded of hours previously. Before he knew it, her soft hands were gently stroking his toned chest, pausing momentarily as she felt his abs, feeling the definition between each muscle. He smiled as he heard her softly moan, placing his has on hers and pulling it away from his now bare chest, laughing gently as he felt her pout.

If anything could be said about Fred Weasley, it was that he was a gentleman through and through.

He wasn't going to let the woman he loved do this, he wasn't going to let their first time happen like this, not when she was this drunk.

Because he did, he loved her.

Placing a final, gentle kiss on her lips, he lifted his fiancée off the floor and placed her into George's old bed and transfigured the floaty dress she had looked gorgeous in to a pair of simple pyjamas.

"Freddie?" She whispered as sleep began to mask her senses.

"Yes, my love?" He whispered in reply, sitting down beside her on the bed.

"Sleep… beside me?" She asked, using her dwindling energy to speak as her eyes heavily fluttered closed.

"Of course, 'Mione." He told her, kissing her forehead as he lowered down beside her for the night.

* * *

Hermione opened her eyes, feeling entirely refreshed after her night's sleep. Looking around her, she took in the familiar surroundings of Ginny's bedroom, the room she had lived in the past year and she had shared every summer since she was welcomed to The Burrow. The pale yellow walls brightened the room, casting a soft glow to bounce of the surfaces when the early morning sun split through the curtains. Kicking back the pale peach blanket that was tucked around her, she listened to the still air around her, trying to detect any signs of movement.

She heard nothing, so she assumed it was relatively early. Only Mrs Weasley would be awake, Mr Weasley too if he hadn't already left for work. Standing up to stretch, she looked around the bedroom to see where she had left her dressing gown, finding it draped across the desk chair alongside Ginny's. Speaking of the red-head, the room was far too quiet for her to be within it, as there were no snores emerging from beneath her duvet. Looking over to the bed at the far side of the room, her assumption was correct, Ginny was not there.

Perhaps she had left during the night to see Harry.

Shrugging, she left the room and made her way towards the bathroom so freshen up before she went downstairs for her breakfast. She paused on her way to skip over the squeaky floor boards, not wanting to waken any of the family up. As she forget herself and stood on a particularly squeaky floor board, she paused to listen for any movement, again only to be met with silence. Deciding to brush it off as an uncanny moment of quiet, she entered the bathroom as turned on the shower.

As she descended the staircase towards the kitchen she was expecting to be met with the delicious aroma of Mrs Weasley's cooking, or the familiar sounds of her gentle singing as she worked. But like before, Hermione heard nothing. And when she reached the final step and stood on the stone floor in the Burrow's kitchen, she found that there was no one downstairs at all.

Now she worried.

Walking the circumference of the house, she peered out of the windows in an attempt to locate another body. It wasn't until she returned to the kitchen did she catch sight of the white marque that stood in the field before the Burrow, something she should have been able to see from her bedroom window.

Maybe that's where they all were, erecting the marquee again for the next wedding ceremony, and that's why no-one was inside the house.

Opening the back door to go out and offer her services, she noticed the entire land that stretched out before her was lavishly decorated as if the wedding was in full swing. Peering into the nearby marquee, she saw a bridal party standing there, evidently waiting for the bride to make her way to the groom, who she could not identify.

Whose wedding was it? Why wasn't she told?

"You all set Herms?" Came the rough, loving voice of her father. Spinning around, she saw her father standing beside her, dressed in a grey suit wearing a deep purple tie with small golden stars. "Can't keep them waiting any long now, my darling." He said as he took her arm and led her forward.

"Dad? What's going on?" She asked, utterly confused as she felt her feet carry her closer and closer to the tent, whilst her head made no sense of the situation.

"Oh my dear girl. Please do not tell me you are so nervous as to forget your own wedding day!" Her father teased her gently, his throaty laugh reverberating through his throat as his words sunk in. She quickly glanced down at her attire, noticing with shock that her pyjamas and red dressing gown had disappeared and instead she was dressed in a floaty, white dress. As she looked up again to take in her surroundings, she found herself right at the top of the marquee, standing beside her fiancée.

She turned to look at him, to discover who he was as she was previously unaware. Catching sight of the all too familiar features that graced the man's face, she felt her stomach contract as she felt Grant take hold of her hand.

"I told you that I would have my way…" He said coldly as he dropped her hand, her world going black.

* * *

**_I know it's short. But I wanted to at least give you something._**

**_Re-reading this before I posted it was hard, I wrote the first part last week based on a similar experience with my boyfriend, only to break up with him the night after. So yeah._**

**_Hope you enjoy, promise I'll get back to you soon with a 3k+ word plus chapter to make up for this._**

**_Much love xx_**


	13. Chapter 13

**Heeey guys, *hides ashamedly***

**Sorry it's been so long; you've all heard of that thing going around at the minute, it's called life? Between school, exams and high emotions I just haven't gotten around to writing much.**

**Three epiphanies this week: I'm unlikely to get any university offers; I'm moving on and forgetting my ex, single life is refreshingly freeing! :) And Starbuck's Gingerbread Lattes are effing amazing!**

**Rating has changed to M to be safe! Enjoy!**

**Rare disclaimer: I'm not JKR, I'm COM**

**Chapter Thirteen**

"..Fibbing Fruits… Canary Crèmes… Midget Marshmallows… and Jumping Jellies. I think that's it all Freddie, unless there's anything else you can think off?" George listed off the products that needed restocked. They liked to keep two days ahead, having charms in place on all the products to alert the twins to their dwindling numbers. It was Fred's turn to spend the afternoon replenishing the best-selling products, and he was thankful for the complex task.

He had become increasingly worried about his fiancée the previous few weeks, and his brain needed to focus on something else for a while. They hadn't spent a proper evening together since the day after George's wedding, when they went out for a walk and a meal in Muggle London. They had had plans for the night after that when she came home from work, but she had owled him saying she had not been feeling very well and was retiring to her bed early, and he was not to worry. She was becoming more and more closed off from him, and he couldn't place his finger on the reason why. She had declined his offers of lunch dates, and seemed uncomfortable when he went to hug her or take a hold off her hand. He knew it was most likely due to her boss, but to his knowledge she hadn't had any further run-ins with him. He decided there and then he would pay her a visit that evening when they finished work and get to the bottom of it.

"I think the Pygmy Puffs are ready to breed again, I'll check on them later. Let me know if any other products need brewed," He called to his brother who was ascending the stairs to the shop floor, lighting a flame below four cauldrons as he opened the ingredients store. Reaching in, he pulled out various coloured bottles, grouping them together into their constituent products. Taking hold of the large bottle of base potion on the lower shelf, he poured an equal volume into each cauldron, before allowing his mind to engulf the familiar potion brewing process.

Several hours and three potions later, he felt a searing heat in his robe pocket. His wand had heated up, alerting him to someone's presence in their flat. Like always, his heart went into overdrive, remembering the same searing flame he felt when the Death Eaters managed to break through their wards, causing them to flee to Aunt Muriel's. Since then however, they had changed their wards, and his wand only warmed like that when the visitor was someone they knew to be trustworthy. Those whose intentions were more malevolent than a friendly visit set off a Caterwauling Charm.

Setting the Midget Marshmallow potion in stasis, he walked over to the fireplace and into it he threw a handful of Floo Powder, watching as the emerald flames erupted from the centre. Kneeling down, he softly muttered 'The Flat' and placed his head in the flames, his vision temporarily clouding as the view before him changed. "Hello?" He called into the wide expanse of their living room, looking around the room for the visitor, hearing footsteps approach him. Soft, feminine footsteps that could only belong to one person. "Mione, is that you love?" He called softly, his heart rate increasing again in trepidation. He audibly sighed when he caught sight of his fiancée as she emerged from the corridor leading to his room, a smile gracing his lips as he saw her body cocooned in his hooded jacket.

"Oh! There you are!" She exclaimed when she saw him, returning his smile. "Hang on," She said as she spun on the spot with a crack, re-appearing in the room behind him with another crack. He removed his head from the fire, and extinguished the flames before standing up. He looked at her timidly, wondering whether or not she would reject his advances for a hug.

He needn't have worried though.

* * *

As soon as she was within arm's reach of him, she promptly threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his middle, pressing her face into his chest and inhaled deeply. She had missed his familiar musky smell, mostly cinnamon with undertones of smoke and the outdoors. She felt tears prick her eyes as the realisation of her detachment hit her. She hadn't intended to close herself off so much from him, but her dream about Grant had affected her more than she cared to think about. And then there was the... _incident_ in work.

The thought of it was enough to decide that what she wanted was in her arms. All she wanted was Fred.

"Mione? Did I…?" Fred started to ask before she muted him with a kiss, lifting her arms so that her hands rested gently around his neck, her fingers toying with the ends of his hair. As their kiss became that little bit more heated, her hands trailed their way towards his ears and she massaged behind them, knowing he liked this greatly. Soon enough, soft moans escaped his lips and he trailed his hands down to her hips, pulling her closer to him as he deepened their kiss.

She had to tell him.

Pulling her lips away from his, she cupped his cheeks in her hands, his stubble softly grazing her palms. "No Freddie, you haven't done anything wrong." She whispered, hoping to dispel his worry, watching as the worried sheen that had clouded his crystal blue eyes seeped away, the magical twinkle she so dearly loved filling them once more. "I need to talk to you though…" She tailed off, watching the worry re-cloud his eyes as he led her to the sofa.

"What is it love?" He muttered softly, wrapping his arms around her as he settled them into the plush sofa. She did not relax against him though, instead opting to sit up straight, needing to release everything from within her, and quickly.

She inhaled deeply, wondering where to begin. She cast her eyes at the man beside her, watching him tense up as he realised the sincerity of the moment. "Something… Something happened at work a few weeks ago. Something with Grant…" She began, closing her eyes as her mind pulled her back to the scene.

* * *

_"Miss Granger, it is half five and I'm off home now. Please don't stay here much longer, I don't think Mr Weasley would appreciate coming second place to your work. You're supposed to meet him at seven and you are not appropriately attired!" Timmy scolded fondly from the door to her office, a teasing look on his face. _

_She smiled appreciatively at the young man, thankful he had alerted her to the current time. She needed to go home to change and freshen up before she met Fred to go to the Muggle restaurant he had suggested. "Thank you Timmy, I'm sure Fred is very thankful I have such a thoughtful assistant. Have a nice evening with Ally, whatever you decide to do," She called as her assistant went on his merry way, off to meet his new beau. Alexi was a sweetheart, taking Timmy out to lunch several times the last few weeks and he had brought Hermione a flower each time he appeared in her office. She was ecstatic that Kingsley had ensured that those attracted to the same sex had been fully catered too, as she couldn't imagine a more perfect partner for her friend._

_Scanning her eyes over the file on her desk one last time, she initialled the bottom of the current page and closed it over, intending to resume it in the morning. Glancing at the clock on her wall, concluding she had the time to visit the owlery on the floor below before heading to her apartment, needing to send off forms to her French counterparts. Gathering together the necessary documents, she drew on her peach robe jacket and lifted her handbag, extinguishing the light in her office on her way out of the door._

_Turing right to walk towards the lift, she caught sight of a glow emanating from Grant's office across the hall. Her lifelong curiosity once again got the better of her, and she approached her boss' office to inspect the sight. Peering around the door, she watched as her boss brewed a potion in front of his fire place, the soft glow that had been cast around the hallway originating from the white flame below his cauldron. She pondered to herself, trying to list off the potions she knew required a Hades flame, one so hot and volatile it was only three levels below fiendfyre. _

_"Still her, Miss Granger? I thought you would be otherwise engaged tonight. Or have you finally reconsidered your decision?" Her boss sneered, adding the final ingredient to his potion before carefully moving it to his private store. She couldn't see the label on the bottle of liquid he poured, but the smell was vaguely familiar to her, and she could still not place her finger on the potion he was brewing. "You may as well come into, unless you enjoy standing on door thresholds?"_

_"Actually, I was just leaving. Have a pleasant evening, Grant." She said politely, albeit stiffly as she turned to walk to her original destination._

_"Oh, but my dear, I think you'll find I do not want you to leave quite so soon," He called after her as she felt her joints lock in place, her eyes the only part of her able to move. Screaming internally, she realised he had cast a Body Bind Curse on her, freezing her on the threshold of his office._

_Before she knew it, he had come to stand behind her, and his lips were resting on her neck. She could feel his hot, unwelcome breath over her collarbone as he peeled back her robes, placing wet kisses along the bone, groaning as he did._

_"I can understand Weasley's attraction to you, my dear. Your smell is… most appealing. You would hardly notice the filthy stench of your blood as it runs through your veins." He muttered as he unceremoniously lifted her frozen body and dragged her into the confines of his office, closing the door behind them. Retrieving his wand from his pocket, he pointed at her mouth and she could no longer feel her tongue, having been the recipient of a Silencing Charm. Feeling the Body Bind lift from her body, she reached to attack Grant, her hands only finding themselves restrained by magical ropes as they appeared from the floor of the floor, binding her in place. "Oh my Miss Granger, should you not know by now that I am in charge around here?" He purred in her ear, his sweaty breath making her feel extremely uncomfortable as it tickled her ear and neck._

_"You must be awfully warm in these robes, my dear. How about we free you of them, yes?" He spoke, his voice sounding even more lecherous than the glint in his eye. "Might I add, peach is not your colour, it washed out your skin… Much better!" He praised as he flicked his wand, her robes pooling on the floor around her, leaving her standing in just her white shirt and grey skirt. _

_He pushed himself up against her, his calloused hands roaming over her body lecherously. Her thoughts immediately flitted to Fred, the memory of the night of George's wedding rushing over her; the feel of his hands on her skin, softly caressing her. His hands were calloused too, but gentle and loving. Not like the rough, forceful hands that were tugging her shirt from her skirt, angrily gripping at the exposed skin of her waist before making their way towards the hem of her skirt._

_She had no means of stopping him; no means of stopping his hot, slobbering mouth from latching on to hers, as every time she moved her head in an attempt to free herself he gripped her hair, locking her head in place. Trying not to cry, she froze as she felt his hand tug her skirt up, roughly finding its way up to the top of her thighs. An uneasy feeling settled in her stomach, and her quick mind already knew that she was fast on her way to losing the only thing the war hadn't mercilessly taken from her. The thing she wanted Fred to have and Fred only. _

_Feeling his hand as it latched onto the silk underwear she was wearing, she soundlessly whimpered as she heard him groan, terror and shame filling her heart as she felt his arousal against her leg. "Seems like Weasley was in for a treat this evening," He sneered in her ear, groaning again as he kicked her legs apart and unzipped her skirt, cupping her bottom as he removed the article from her body. A silent tear traced its way down her cheek, her resolve fast breaking as he felt his way up the inside of her leg._

_His fingers had no more hooked themselves under the material of her knickers when Kingsley's booming laugh could be heard coming down the hallway, fast approaching Grant's office. Praying to Merlin that he would come to her rescue, Hermione felt the ropes release their tight grip from around her wrists and watched as they sank back into the floorboards, her skirt magically reappearing on her body and her robes returned to their rightful place on her shoulders. She felt the blood rush back into her tongue, and she gasped for air as she regained the ability to make noise. "You bast…" She started to say before Kingsley entered the room, Timmy in tow. _

_"Miss Granger! I told you to go home, Fred will have my wand if you are late tonight!" He scolded her again, this time seriously._

_"I think you should listen to young Mr Dillsworth here, Hermione. I'm sure Fred has the famous Weasley temper in his blood too," The Minister teased, oblivious to Hermione's anger._

_"She is just on her way, my dear gentlemen!" Grant exclaimed cordially, an arm snaking around her shoulders. It took all her willpower not to hex him into oblivion. "The Floo in her office is not working and as you know, she is running awfully late! Wouldn't want to keep Master Weasley waiting, now would you?" He simpered to the woman, smirking in a Malfoy-esque fashion. "We can finish our discussion tomorrow," He threatened, a menacing glare in his eyes._

_Catching the eye of the other two men, she bade them good night and Flooed to her apartment, her resolve finally falling down round her as she made her way to the shower, not emerging for many hours._

As she finished recounting her story, her eyes were clouded over with unshed tears; and the tears she had shed had soaked her cheek, his shirt and her own shirt. She could feel him physically shake with anger, the colour having drained from his face. She looked up at him, feeling the anger radiated off him. Clutching onto his hand, she pulled him back onto the sofa when he made to stand up, silently begging him to stay.

* * *

"I'll kill him Hermione!" He raged, pulling her close to him as a fresh wave of tears hit her. "How dare he! How dare he touch you like that!" He seethed, consciously trying to calm himself in an attempt to stop scaring the girl, which he knew he was doing in his fit of rage.

It was quiet from then on, the only sound in the apartment coming from Hermione's sobs, and eventually her even breathing. She lifted her head from his chest, holding his gaze before placing her lips on his, capturing his lips in a kiss. Her hands snaked around his neck and he felt her fingertips massage his upper back. She repositioned herself so that she was no longer sitting beside him, but straddling his lap. His hands automatically went to her hips, pulling her closer to his body as she deepened the kiss. All his frustration at the news he had just heard melted away as he through himself into the passion of the kiss, focusing only on her lips, scent and taste, and her body pressed against his. "Freddie," She moaned into his lips, her voice husky. "Make me forget," She breathed, sending a flame into the pit of Fred's stomach as he realised what she was asking.

"Are you sure 'Mione?" He asked her, holding her face in his hands as she nodded, silently assuring him this was what she wanted. He took her appearance. Her swollen lips and flushed cheeks, her mussed hair from where he had ran his hands through it, her slightly glazed over eyes with dilated pupils holding his gaze. The attraction was radiating off her, he could see the want in her eyes. She had never looked sexier than she had in that moment, and the image of Grant defiling her urged him to take her as his own. Groaning slightly as she moved her hips against his pelvis, he nodded his ascent. He lifted her from the sofa, carrying her to his bedroom, locking the flat door as he went and setting the anti-apparition and Floo wards.

Setting her down gently on the bed, he heard her mutter a spell under her breath before she set her wand on the bedside table beside his own, moving closer to him so that they were as close as could be. He caught her lips in another kiss, the passion picking up where it had left off in the living room. He trailed his hand up and down her side, his hand dipping as he graced it over her hips and moved it under the jumper she was wearing, removing it from her small body. He saw she was wearing only a thin t-shirt underneath, and he removed that too whilst he was there, catching sight of the lilac silk and lace bra she was wearing. Biting back his moan, he moved so that he had her trapped beneath him, caressing her shoulders and breasts with his gentle hands as he resumed kissing her.

Her hands made quick work of removing the magenta shirt he had worn to work that day, smoothly removing it from his shoulders as she took in the side of his toned chest, his defined abs and taut stomach. He pressed his chest against hers, careful not to rest his entire body weight on top of her small frame. He felt her sigh into their kiss as she ran her hands over his pectoral muscles, stopping momentarily before trailing their way down to his trouser buttons, as if she were building up the confidence.

Before they knew it, both of their lower halves were freed of clothing, save for their underwear. He stopped kissing her and lifted his head, looking directly into her eyes. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her once more, making positively sure she was ready. She nodded, breathing something too soft for him to hear before lifting her upper body to his and resuming their kiss, his arms snaking around her back to remove her bra as she made to remove his boxers.

As he freed her perfect breasts from their constraints, he cupped one in his hand, marvelling at the creaminess of her skin and the soft mews of pleasure she was allowing to escape from her lips. Delicately starting at her lips, he kissed his way down her jaw and across her collarbone, dipping into the valley between her breasts and onto her stomach. As he reached her hips, he raised them up and placed a lingering kiss on each of her hipbones before he cast his eyes over the other half of his underwear, smiling appreciatively at the matching lilac and black satin and lace. He looked up at his fiancée as she writhed excitedly beneath him, hooking his hands under the material and removing the item of clothing, eliciting fiery, needy stirrings in her stomach.

An hour and a half later, as the contented couple lay resting in each other's arms, they each shared the same thought. They couldn't have pictured a more loving, caring person in the world than the other to share their first time with. They both fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

**REVIEW! 3**


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